Ethics of Personalised Medicine

Jochen Vollmann M.D. Ph.D. is Professor and Director at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine and Chair of the Centre for Medical Ethics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. Professor Vollmann’s research interests include informed consent and capacity assessment, mental health ethics, end-of-life decision making, advance directives, personalised medicine, medical professionalism, clinical ethics committees, and clinical ethics consultation. Verena Sandow MA. is a researcher in medical ethics and applied ethics at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. She works in the field of human medical research and research ethics. Sebastian Wäscher MA. is a researcher in medical ethics, with a focus on social science aspects at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. His research interests are questions at the end of life, empirical ethics, personalised medicine and qualitative research methodology. Jan Schildmann M.D. MA. is a medical ethicist and physician. He is researcher at the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. His research covers topics in clinical ethics (i.e. end-of-life decisions, ethics support services), research ethics (i.e. personalised medicine, conflict of interest) and methodological aspects of empirical medical ethics.

’This volume is a landmark for demythologising the buzzword personalised medicine, critically differentiating between hype and false hopes on the one hand and realistic approaches and outlooks on the other. By comprehensively comprising a wide range of excellent normative and empirical studies, it empowers anyone interested in better understanding the presuppositions and consequences of the term personalised medicine to form a well-informed judgement on one of the most augured ideas in cutting-edge medicine.’ Peter Dabrock, University of Erlangen, Germany, and Vice Chair of the German Ethics Council and member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) 'The concept personalised medicine has become a buzz word in contemporary medicine. However, it is not at all clear what the concept entails. The suggestion is that treatment will be adapted to the individual patient. Yet, the basis is not knowledge of the individual patient, but statistical analysis of characteristics of patient groups. Moreover, individual patient wishes and preferences may become less relevant, if treatment options are seen in terms of chances of patient groups. This book contains critical discussions of the concept of personalised medicine, both from an empirical and a normative perspective. It provides a timely and needed contribution to the debate.' Guy Widdershoven, VU University Medical Center, Netherlands ’Gathering together a broad range of academics working in this important area, this book considers comprehensively the conceptual, ethical and practical issues associated with the ethics of personalised medicine. The editors are to be congratulated on this volume and for the way in which it carefully reflects on the issues involved in personalised medicine and its application in practice.’ Mark Sheehan, University of Oxford, UK

• The Ethics of Personalised Medicine