Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Clin Epigenetics. 2021 May 8;13(1):105. doi: 10.1186/s13148-021-01092-8.
An increase in global violence has forced the displacement of more than 70 million people, including 26 million refugees and 3.5 asylum seekers. Refugees and asylum seekers face serious socioeconomic and healthcare barriers and are therefore particularly vulnerable to physical and mental health risks, which are sometimes exacerbated by immigration policies and local social discriminations. Calls for a strong evidence base for humanitarian action have encouraged conducting research to address the barriers and needs of refugees and asylum seekers. Given the role of epigenetics factors to mediate the effect of psychological and environmental exposures, epigenetic modifications have been used as biomarkers for life adversity and disease states. Therefore, epigenetic research can be potentially beneficial to address some of the issues associated with refugees and asylum seekers. Here, we review the value of previous and ongoing epigenetic studies with traumatized populations, explore some of the ethical challenges associated with epigenetic research with refugees and asylees and offer suggestions to address or mitigate some of these challenges. Researchers have an ethical responsibility to implement strategies to minimize the harms and maximize the short and long-term benefits to refugee and asylee participants.
全球暴力的增加迫使超过 7000 万人流离失所，其中包括 2600 万难民和 350 万寻求庇护者。难民和寻求庇护者面临严重的社会经济和医疗保健障碍，因此特别容易受到身心健康风险的影响，而移民政策和当地社会歧视有时会使这些风险更加严重。呼吁为人道主义行动提供强有力的证据基础，鼓励开展研究以解决难民和寻求庇护者的障碍和需求。鉴于表观遗传因素在调节心理和环境暴露的影响方面的作用，表观遗传修饰已被用作生活逆境和疾病状态的生物标志物。因此，表观遗传学研究可能有助于解决与难民和寻求庇护者相关的一些问题。在这里，我们回顾了以前和正在进行的创伤人群表观遗传学研究的价值，探讨了与难民和庇护寻求者的表观遗传学研究相关的一些伦理挑战，并提出了一些解决或减轻这些挑战的建议。研究人员有责任实施策略，将对难民和庇护寻求者参与者的伤害降至最低，并最大限度地提高短期和长期利益。
