Ethics Case Studies in Biodesign

Case 4 - Graduate Student Dilemma

A Stanford professor has been approached by a group with knowledge of a technology developed for the government. Together the professor and the agents of the group theorize the technology might be modified for use as a therapeutic agent for patients. They want to incorporate and involve the professor as a founder of the company. She will be an advisor to the company and hold stock in the company. There actually is no physical location of this company as the individuals involved work from their homes or current places of business otherwise. The professor agrees to test the new technology in-vitro and in animals to see if it has the actual potential that is theorized. An investor group commits enough money to explore "proof of principle" of this technology under a contract for the work with Stanford.

You are a graduate student in the Professor’s laboratory. You have expertise in the experimental methods that are needed for the work described above. Your supervisor, the Professor, asks you if you are willing to carry out the experiments under her direction and she explains her relationship to the company.

What issues do you want to explore before making a decision about this offer?q Your boss obviously has a potential conflict of interest in this work. Will the University allow her to carry out this work at Stanford under these circumstances?

• Under what management arrangements might it be allowed?
• Will the work you perform under this contract be as a "Stanford employee" or as a "company employee or consultant?
• Will you be compensated beyond your stipend for this work?
• Will you be eligible for stock options in the company for contributing to this effort?
• Have you any concerns about the objectivity of your boss regarding the experimental results in this circumstance?
• If you have concerns about the work once it has begun, to whom can you take your issues?
• To what degree will this work be a distraction from your central efforts in the lab?
• Do you have the time to carry out the contract work and still fulfill your other obligations?
• If you say "no" to the offer, what effect will it have on your relationship to your supervisor?