Research
Research ethics and medical ethics methodology working group
Research ethics
Ethics^3: Ethics researchers, ethics applications, ethics committees. Problems of and wishes for ethics applications and their review from the perspective of empirical medical and bioethics researchers and members of medical ethics committees in Germany.
Status: Ongoing
Project management:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Scientific collaboration:
Dr. phil. Ilvie Prince
Student assistant:
Malte Thomalla, B.A.
Funding:
Home remedies
Duration:
May 2024 until probably May 2026
EthU: Ethical decision-making in epistemic states of uncertainty in gene therapy and genome editing research projects
Status: Ongoing
Project management:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Scientific collaboration:
Hélène Nobile, PhD
Funding:
Home remedies
Duration:
March 2022 until probably December 2025
Links to results of the predecessor project (GEENGOV):
Gene and Genome Editing 2022, Science & Engineering Ethics 2022
Retreat week "Animal experimentation ethics as an interplay of research ethics, animal ethics and (animal welfare) law. International perspectives on theoretical and cultural differences (TiVE)"
Status: Completed
Project management:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Dr. PH Hannes Kahrass (former)
Research assistant:
Felicitas Selter, PhD (former)
Student assistant:
Tatiana Hetzel, B.A. (former)
Funding:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Duration:
January 2022 to August 2023
Links to results:
Poster (Page 1: Challenges & Solutions), Poster (Page 2: References & Affiliations), Meeting Report (ALTEX), Animals 2025
SRR-HCS: Systematic review on ethical reasons for or against conducting human challenge studies
Status: Completed
Project management:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Sabine Salloch
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Scientific collaboration:
Dr. phil. Matthias Katzer
Cooperation partner:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Christoph Schindler (CMO & Head of Center for Clinical Trials, MHH)
Funding:
Home remedies
Duration:
February 2022 to December 2023
Links to results:
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2023
Alternatives to animal testing: basics, examples and ethical considerations / human-animal relationship from a regulatory and ethical perspective - focus: farm animal husbandry with special consideration of the One Health concept
(projects from "OER for the higher education sector - promoting the creation, Nursing and dissemination of Open Educational Resources at universities in Lower Saxony")
Status: Completed
Project management:
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Hiebl, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation (TiHo)
Prof. Dr. Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Scientific collaboration (MHH):
Dr. phil. Matthias Katzer
Andrea Nelke, TÄ (former)
Felicitas Selter, PhD (former)
Ines Pietschmann, M.mel (former)
Student collaboration (MHH):
Tatiana Hetzel, B.A. (former)
Ilvie Otto [Prince], B.A. (former)
Funding:
Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK)
Duration:
December 2020 to October 2023
Links to results:
Materials produced
R2N "Replace" and "Reduce" from Lower Saxony - Replacement and supplementation methods for forward-looking biomedical research
Subproject E1: Structure of ethically relevant value judgments in decisions for or against animal testing alternatives
Status: Completed
Project management:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Dr. PH Hannes Kahrass (former)
Research assistant:
Ines Pietschmann, M.mel (former)
Student assistant:
Ilvie Otto [Prince], B.A. (former)
Funding:
Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK)
Duration:
October 2018 to December 2022
Links to results:
ALTEX Corners 2019, R2N Poster WinterCamp 2020, Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2023, Animals 2024
Medical ethical methodology
Ethical attitudes as learning objectives in medical studies
Status: Ongoing
Project management:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Sabine Salloch
Scientific collaboration:
Dr. phil. Matthias Katzer
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Student assistant:
Malte Thomalla
Funding:
German Research Foundation (DFG)
Duration:
July 2024 until probably June 2027
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) meta-research: Preparation of a mapping review of "Full-HTA" (with a focus on ethics domains)
Status: Completed
Project management:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Scientific collaboration:
Dr. PH Hannes Kahrass (former)
Antje Schnarr, M.A. (former)
Cooperation partner:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Clovis Faggion jr. (University Hospital Münster)
Funding:
Home remedies
Duration:
June 2022 to April 2024
Links to results:
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 2025
R2Ethics Methodological quality of (systematic) reviews of normative-ethical and empirical-ethical literature on medical topics. Recording of the state of the art and development of a reporting guideline
Status: Completed
Project management:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Scientific collaboration:
Dr. PH Hannes Kahrass (former)
Hélène Nobile, PhD
Antje Schnarr, M.A. (former)
PhD students:
Natali Lilie Randjbar Moshtaghin
Student assistant:
Zoë Lüddecke, B.A. (formerly)
Funding:
Home remedies
Duration:
June 2015 to December 2023
Links to results:
BMC Medicine 2016, AEM Annual Meeting 2016, Systematic Reviews 2017, ZEFQ 2017, Equator Network 2018, AEM Annual Meeting 2019, BMC Medical Ethics 2019, Nursing Ethics 2020, Systematic Reviews 2023, Bioethics Open Research 2024
Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
T24-03: Sleep quality. Can taking melatonin as a dietary supplement, e.g. in the form of tablets, sprays or soft gums, help to improve sleep?
Status: Ongoing
Project coordination:
Dr. med. Dagmar Lühmann, Institute and Polyclinic for General Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Working on social and ethical aspects / Participation WG FE:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Dr. phil. Ilvie Prince
Funding:
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)
Duration:
December 2024 until probably February 2026
Links to results:
Report protocol
T24-01: Adhesions in the abdomen: Do non-surgical and non-medicinal procedures help to relieve symptoms?
Status: Ongoing
Project coordination:
Dr. med. Anja Hagen, Institute of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Public Health Research, Hannover Medical School
Working on social and ethical aspects / participation in WG FE:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Dr. phil. Ilvie Prince
Funding:
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)
Duration:
August 2024 until probably December 2025
Links to results:
Report protocol
T23-05: Kinesthetics ("the science of the sensation of movement"): Do care recipients and professional carers benefit from its application?
Status: Completed
Project coordination:
Dr. med. Dagmar Lühmann, Institute and Polyclinic for General Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg
Working on social and ethical aspects / participation WG FE:
Dr. phil. Marcel Mertz
Dr. PH Hannes Kahrass (former)
Funding:
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)
Duration:
February 2024 to May 2025
Links to results:
Preliminary ThemenCheck report