Ethical Approach
At Variant Bio, ethics is a priority, not an afterthought
We are a mission-driven company, dedicated to strong ethics, benefit sharing, and improving human health. Our research model is based on respect for the people and communities who work with us.
![A crowd of people standing outside watching a person in a lab coat presenting.](https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-outside.jpg?w=980&h=735&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683916930&s=82749aba454680a9c17bbdcc95a29cc1 980w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-outside.jpg?w=768&h=576&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683916930&s=e4b07235ebf3be7452992ed6c245c298 768w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-outside.jpg?w=640&h=480&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683916930&s=2226cf5be2cd7cdd790966e0d679c2e8 640w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-outside.jpg?w=480&h=360&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683916930&s=2ae35c7f759fd8105aa393744f981019 480w)
Ethically minded
An independent Ethics Advisory Board, composed of Indigenous community members, bioethicists, and genetic counselors, advises us on every project. We prioritize the needs and values of research partners. Variant Bio will protect the privacy and other rights of all participants, both individually and as a group. To learn more, read our framework and key principles for ethics & community engagement and our data and sample governance principles & commitments.
![A man in the foreground in front of a computer. The photo looks over the computer at a woman across the table, listening to the man](https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=1536&h=1035&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=bfcbba1dda77b00f56c918b9d4634deb 1536w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=1376&h=927&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=2f43784a5b083ae067ab164f8ade0ad1 1376w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=1280&h=862&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=121c1a6c3749163219bc1f7a2e222faf 1280w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=980&h=660&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=caece74853d0114f8be3bf9282d17026 980w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=768&h=517&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=0847c15aaf30609df9cf24ba80f3963d 768w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=640&h=431&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=d42d1c830c14c309bdbdcc2613e37d53 640w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/Return-of-Results-Madagascar-TinyPNG.jpeg?w=480&h=323&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1694028330&s=6a4d7261f9d591d13b7c07fa4405ef34 480w)
Study co-design
All studies at Variant Bio are co-designed with local organizations and, wherever possible, with local communities to address questions that are relevant to community health. These organizations include community groups, academics, healthcare professionals, hospitals, and biobanks around the world.
![Several people sitting in a room looking off-camera to the left.](https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-sitting.jpg?w=980&h=736&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683144712&s=5b3d20559d6d68ae17adaaec8f77a0a0 980w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-sitting.jpg?w=768&h=577&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683144712&s=c86bf1a8b484811ec9f11b02b7d9f773 768w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-sitting.jpg?w=640&h=481&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683144712&s=9c75cbfa9cf40a003d113472ba730cf7 640w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/people-sitting.jpg?w=480&h=360&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1683144712&s=9d11316bcdef4e2836939960b86811bf 480w)
Community engagement
Community engagement is critical to the ethical conduct of biomedical research. It promotes respectful and mutually beneficial research as well as relationships of trust and transparency between researchers and communities. As part of Variant Bio’s mission to practice ethically grounded genomics research, we aim to effectively engage every community we partner with – before, during, and after our studies.
![Multiple crowds of people in a large open area with a house in the background.](https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/crowds-home.jpg?w=980&h=735&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1684270514&s=4671f6f82b343ffd0e55c2d3b88b7e8d 980w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/crowds-home.jpg?w=768&h=576&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1684270514&s=d3edc44575baa66a81b341a366ad7799 768w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/crowds-home.jpg?w=640&h=480&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1684270514&s=ff8c8992671f9117e632d7bba5ebea27 640w, https://variant-bio.transforms.svdcdn.com/staging/default/crowds-home.jpg?w=480&h=360&q=82&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1684270514&s=8bb6f288dd9d11165ac88c1b79ceb908 480w)
Returning results
At Variant Bio, we believe that study results should be shared first and foremost with the people who shared their data with us. We are committed to addressing past and ongoing legacies of extractive studies by sharing both the benefits and the results of research with participating communities.