Applying the non-maleficence principle to basic research in Alzheimer’s disease

Despite the urgency for new leads towards Alzheimer's disease (AD) interventions, the impact of such basic research on patient welfare and potential socioeconomic repercussions are considered remote. Nonetheless, basic science research in AD must adhere to the highest level of ethical stringency. Even preliminary advances in AD basic research offer hope that percolates along the line from researchers to patients. A promising basic research result that is subsequently proven unreliable due to irreproducibility or research misconduct would not only dash hopes but might also misdirect downstream efforts. Furthermore, such misadventures could quash promising research directions that, if otherwise carefully and meticulously interrogated, could yield useful leads. Stringency and reproducibility in biomedical research should thus be framed in accordance with the principle of non-maleficence, which I posit should take priority over loose attempts at beneficence that offer more hype than hope.