International IRB

Thank you for your application.

Report

Full Review

We have not received any application that need full review.

Expedite Review

Studies with minimal risk went through screening and assigned to board members or external reviewers, reviewed, improved and then approved. Signed by Dr Cecilia Young,

Exemption

Exemption was given to study with minimal risk and does not need review through the same screening and review procedure.

WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY DUE TO VERY SERIOUS CYBER ATTACK.

Discussion with website providers started in April 2022 and until now Rebuild on Oct 1, 2022.

Sorry

The International Institutional Review Board (International IRB) completed the 3 year term in Aug 2022. Thank you very much for the applications, the work of board members and external reviewers.

Dr Cecilia YOUNG invited board member individually with her paper concerning about independent researchers (1) by email directly and through Jamine, her assistant in 2019. Each member replied to the email and checked his/her name on the website.

Board members were/are teaching staff in universities, reviewers and/or editors of publishing journals.

International IRB registered several teams at the Office of Human Research Protection. We moved to Malta (2). We need to discuss with the members whether to renew or inactivate it.

Each Institutional Review Board has its basic composition (3). It should maintain its self-autonomy and follow the Declaration of Helsinki (4) with the basic function to protect the subjects and the researchers i.e. the field and the mankind.

International IRB welcome experienced researcher who can conduct the study independently, Each applicant presented the publication list, previous ethical approval or the exemption for the proof of experience, We went through CV, protocol, informed consent form, questionnaires and filled application form for each case, like any IRB.

Students recommended and supervised by teaching staff also received the approval after the same review procedure.

Up to now, no application needed full review, studies with minimal risks from independent researchers or students went through expedite reviews and were suggested to be approved by 1 or 2 internal board members or external reviewers; they followed the Declaration of Helsinki and local laws. We discussed with local authorities when we needed (5). The investigators should report to us if there were any undesirable event. There were no adverse event reports in these three years.

We faced very serious cyber security problem since 2019 and had extreme difficulties in email communication. Emails might not be read and sent. All contacts to applicants without Dr Cecilia Young's notice originated from illegal sources and attempts, they offended the Human right bill (6), Declaration of Helsinki (4) and Hippocratic Oath (7).

We informed and apologized to the applicants due to the cyber-attack. The website could not be maintained since May, 2022 though we continuously discussed with the website builder since March 2022 (8).

The email ceciliayoung@internationalirb.com resumed on Sept 21, 2022 after a lot of procedures. We need to rebuild the website even we may inactivate or renew it. The protection has not yet expired. We will discuss with the board members whether to renew or to inactivate the International IRB.

If any applicant did not receive the reply or there are any inquiries, please contact us again.

References:

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319059429_Could_Ethics_Committees_please_welcome_Independent_Researchers

2. correspondence attached

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4631034/

4. https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/

5. Correspondence attached

6. https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights/international-bill-human-rights

https://doctors.practo.com/the-hippocratic-oath-the-original-and-revised-version/

8. correspondence attached