The German Stem Cell Network Has Compiled a Sample Text for Informed Consent

By Sara Gerke

Sara Gerke speaking
GSCN Conference in Jena in September, 2017

At the General Meeting of the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) in Jena in September 2017, Tobias Cantz and I proposed the establishment of a new GSCN strategic working group.

This new working group, known as ELSA, focuses on the ethical, legal and social aspects of the modern life sciences. ELSA aims to serve as a country-wide interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of information and for the analysis and discussion of challenges facing basic and applied stem cell research in Germany.

Read More

graphic of a keylock in front of a keyboard

The EU’s GDPR in the Health Care Context 

By Sara Gerke 

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force two years ago but became directly applicable in all EU Member States only last week, aims to establish an equal level of protection for the rights and freedoms of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data in all EU Member States.

Each of us has been inundated with emails in the last few days and weeks, informing us about the GDPR and asking us, among other things, to review updated privacy policy. This flood of emails is, in particular, the consequence of the GDPR’s imposing administrative fines for infringements.

According to its territorial scope, the GDPR can also impact US companies that process personal data of data subjects who are in the EU. For example, this is the case for newspapers and affiliated websites, where the processing activities are related to the offering of services or goods, irrespective of whether payment is required. Some papers decided to simply block users in the EU, rather than abide by the GDPR’s provisions. 

Read More