The Hellenic National Bioethics Commission celebrated its 10th Anniversary (1999-2009) by organizing a Conference on 2nd December 2009 in the Amphitheatre of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens.  The Conference has been dedicated to the late George Koumantos, first President of the Commission.
During the first part of the Conference, the President of the E.G.E., Professor G?ran Hermer?n, referred by his lecture to the role and the impact of the ethics Committees in democratic societies, which attracted the attention of the audience. 
Afterwards Dr Takis Vidalis, scientific officer of the Commission,   pointed out the personality and the invaluable contribution of G. Koumantos to the function of the Commission from its establishment (1999) till 2007.
The main subject of the Round Table, during the second part, was Euthanasia. Distinguished speakers from the fields of medicine, law,  philosophy and theology examined the medical dilemmas and made a legal, philosophical and theological approach shedding light to the various aspects of euthanasia. 

The participants showed high interest for the subject and addressed questions to the speakers, which triggered a fruitful dialogue among them.

On 17 February 2009 a rare case for the Greek legal system was heard at the Greek Supreme Court. It was the case of the dismissal of a 27 year old HIV carrier. The 27 year old employee was fired according to his employers following demands from some of his colleagues for his dismissal. Both the District Court and the Court of Appeals ruled that the dismissal was abusive and the plaintiff was awarded €7539 for loss of income and moral damages. The Courts have not ruled his reinstatement. The employers dispute the Courts' decision and resorted to the Supreme Court whose verdict is expected in due time following the public hearing that took place on February 17. It is noteworthy that in her recommendation the reporting judge for the case supported the claims of the employers that the dismissal was not abusive. 

Read more: Kathimerini, English edition  
TO VIMA (in Greek) 17-02-2009 , 18-02-2009  

The Commission anounces with sorrow the death of its distinguished member Prof. Savvas Agourides.

Savvas Agourides was a prominent researcher of the New Testament and amongst the most important contemporary Greek theologians. He was a member of the commission since 1999.

In the Opinion on Research Ethics in Biological Sciences, the Commission visits a subject widely debated by scientists as well as by the general public. Several cases of improper conduct in science have been uncovered in the recent past. The roots of the problem seem to be, among else, the way science is organized and conducted in large institutions and the dependence of research on external sponsors. For biological sciences in particular, the effects of improper conduct is more likely to have adverse reactions for society, public health and the environment. In this Opinion the Commission analyzes the issues of ethics in biological sciences recognizing the need for freedom of research but also that society supports science and expects to benefit from it. Freedom of research should be protected but at the same time research should be self-regulated by ethics codes produced by the scientific community. To this end the Commission undertook the task to provide Research Institutions with guidelines for the formulation of their own ethics codes. 

You can access the full text of the Opinion here and of the Report here.

Until now Greece did not have a biobank. Biobanks collect biological samples such as blood or tissues from biopsies and store them together with full medical records of the donors. Such collections can be a very useful tool for scientists researching a specific disease as they can have access to a larger number of samples that they could otherwise acquire and thus better validate their findings. They are especially useful to researchers trying to identify genes involved in diseases with genetic causes and the corresponding disease causing mutations.

The Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (IBEAA) has just secured the funds and approval from the European Union to establish a Biobank that will join the European Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Infrastructure network. The General Secretariat for Research and Technology, Ministry of Development, will be a partner in this venture. The existing cord blood bank that already is active in IIBEAA will be incorporated in the new biobank. According to Dr Dimitris Thanos, director of the center “the biobank will facilitate researchers of many fields as it will make available for their research material that has been adequately stored and characterized. In addition, the fact that the material is comparable with that of foreign biobanks and is accompanied by full medical records will allow more reliable conclusions to be drawn from such projects’. The chairman of the Foundation and member of the Academy of Athens, George Skalkeas, also stressed the many social and economic benefits from the new Biobank.

A.H.

Source: TO BHMA

The Hellenic National Bioethics Commission announces with sorrow the sudden death of its President, Professor George Koumantos, on 16 th of August 2007. Professor  Koumantos has been   the founding President of the National Bioethics Commission and  a pioneer  in the field of bioethics in Greece.

A fire that followed ten days of heat wave surpassed the capabilities of fire management leading to the devastation of Mount Parnitha. The fire burnt 4,200 hectares, most of which National Forest, of the mountain that is located north of Athens. There is widespread distress among the public for the distraction of large part of the National Forest, a major ecological catastrophe that will also affect the lives of millions in the Greek capital. It is said that temperature in Athens could rise by one degree as a result, to mention just one of the many consequences of the fire.

The environmental group WWF Hellas, among others, has raised concerns about the environmental impact of the lost forest and has urged the government for clear re-forestation and forest protection plans.

Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas addressed a memo to forest rangers urging them to be alert for any illegal building activity in the burnt forest.

The devastation of mount Parnitha has also prompted many protests amongst which an e-mail protest on 5 and 6 July 2007 directed to members of the government and the parliament and a concert-protest at Syntagma square on Friday 13/7/07.

Sources: ekathimerini

Green Ecologists

The ban in the trade and culture of genetically modified (GM) maize seeds in Greece is continued and extended. The release of one more maize genetic modification (or GM “event”) has now been rejected by the Greek authorities, event MON 810, increasing the number of banned hybrids from 31 to 51.

According to an announcement from the Greek ministry of Rural Development and Food on 27 June 2007 the new ban is based on novel scientific evidence regarding the risks on human health and bee-keeping. It stresses that the import of GM plants in Greece should happen avoiding any harm to the environment and without imposing new practices to conventional farming due to the co-existence of GM plantations.

Vice-Minister Mr Kontos stated that “The new ministerial decision continues the government policy for the non-culture of genetically modified (plant) varieties in Greece. The aim of the ministry is the production of quality produce and under no circumstances such produce can be genetically modified”.

Source: Kathimerini

A woman from Athens gave birth to a healthy, "designer baby" last Wednesday. The baby will provide blood stem cells to his brother who suffers from chronic granulomatous disease and is the second case of "savior siblings" in Greece.
At delivery, umbilical cord blood was taken to obtain stem cells with which to treat the older sibling. In both cases, the stem cells transplantation will take place in Athens in two months and will be performed by the gynecologist Dr. C. Pantos and the professor of Genetics Dr. C. Pangalos.

Source: " Ethnos " Newspaper, NET Channel  

The Hellenic National Bioethics Commission in collaboration with the M.E.D.E.L. and the Institute of Biological Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation is organizing a Conference  which will be held on 9 February 2007 at the National Hellenic Research Foundation  (Vass. Konstantinou Avenue 48, Athens) at 09.30- 18.30 with main topic of discussion "Law & Bioethics"