Over the past years, one of the most discussed topics in policy debates on genetics has been the use of genetic testing in insurance. Many of these debates have been rather speculative and abstract. In a recent contribution to this journal, Kaufert therefore urged for "a proper research agenda"...

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, predictive forms of medicine, largely associated with genetics, have become increasingly prominent. This has given rise to questions about the social consequences of this development, for example with regard to the distribution of health care...

Since the 1990s, the impact of genetic testing for insurance has been the subject of international debates. However, these have been rather speculative and abstract. In an effort to find new openings, the author explores this concern from an empirical sociological angle - by studying the...

The emergence of a global industry of digital health platforms operated by Big Tech corporations, and its growing entanglements with academic and pharmaceutical research networks, have raised increasingly pressing questions on the capacity of current data governance models, regulatory and legal...

The issue of balance between research and treatment in clinical trials conduct has been surrounded by controversies. Scientific characteristics of trials may compromise medical care available to participants, while conceiving research participation as having therapeutic value may foster the...

Since ethical review practice has developed in relation to specific regulatory regimes and local contexts, it cannot be understood without paying attention to the institutional context of ethical review practices. We believe the tendency towards strong central governance and standardization in...

This study explored the rather rapid adoption of a new surgical device — the da Vinci robot — in the Netherlands despite the high costs and its controversial clinical benefits. We used the concept ‘affordances’ as a conceptual-analytic tool to refer to the perceived promises, symbolic...

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the experiences and dynamics of the involvement of research participants in a randomized clinical trial for nicotine vaccination. Participants received an experimental nicotine vaccine or a placebo, in addition to quit smoking medication and...