Genomics and Benefit Sharing with Developing Countries -From Biodiversity to Human Genomics - GENBENEFIT *

Benefit sharing is an area of increasing international debate (for example within the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Trade Organisation (WTO), and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)). However to date the related ethical concerns have hardly been discussed.

Benefit sharing occurs mainly in two areas:

• Human genetic banking for the purpose of pharmacogenomics or population genomics research (human genetic resources).
• Use of traditional knowledge from indigenous communities mainly by the pharmaceutical industry to develop new products (non-human genetic resources).

Those working in the human area lack legally binding, international regulations such as the 1992 Convention on Biodiversity which are already in existence for benefit sharing regarding non-human genetic resources such as plants, animals and micro-organisms.

GENBENEFIT has therefore established an international, interdisciplinary team from five continents with expertise in human and non-human benefit sharing to explore synergies. The team are studying four paradigmatic international case studies to provide a profound state-of-the-art analysis for benefit sharing in the context of human and non-human resources.

**A fifth case study from Nigeria has been incorporated into the project (2007), funded by the South African Government Department of Science & Technology, which has granted co-investment funding to the University of the Witwatersrand's (WITS) School of Law. This South African funding stream seeks out foreign projects that are likely to make an important contribution towards addressing national priorities on topics of strategic significance for the country.

The main aim of GENBENEFIT is to promote policy developments by developing an "Ethics Health Check" for benefit sharing agreements involving vulnerable groups and communities in the area of human genetics.

Aims of the project:

1. Advance knowledge and ethical insight into existing benefitsharing frameworks with regard to human genetic resources.
2. Explore paradigmatic international case studies to identifyethical concerns and possible solutions.
3. Create an international network of experts and stakeholders onbenefit sharing from human and non-human areas to exploresynergies.
4. Promote future policy developments by developing an "ethicshealth check" prerequisite for benefit sharing agreements involvingvulnerable groups and communities in the context of human geneticresources.

* GenBenefit is a 3-year Specific Targeted Research Project funded by the European Community's Sixth Framework programme for Science and Society.