Biobanks

In recent years, a number of large population-based biobanks - genetic databases that combine genetic information derived from blood samples with personal data about environment, medical history, lifestyle or genealogy - have been set up in order to study the interface between disease, and genetic and environmental factors. Unsurprisingly, these studies have sparked a good deal of controversy and the ethical and social implications have been widely debated.This book, however, takes a different approach, drawing attention to their political and governance implications. For biobanks to be created, shaped, maintained, and to operate properly, a number of interrelated conditions need to exist or to be created, from legal environment to funding mechanisms and social acceptance. The first part of the book introduces the conceptual framework that underpins the volume. The second part focuses on biobanks as a challenge for governance, and the third part emphasises biobanks as a tool and site for governance.This groundbreaking book makes clear that biobanks are a phenomenon that cannot be disconnected from considerations of power, politics, and the reshaping of current practices in governance. It will be a valuable read for scholars and students of genetics, bioethics, risk, public health and the sociology of health and illness.Gottweis, Herbert is the author of 'Biobanks', published 2008 under ISBN 9780415427388 and ISBN 041542738X.