Jonathan Kimmelman Strengthens Research Ethics at the BIH

When new medicines are developed, a critical phase begins after preclinical testing and animal studies: so-called first-in-human trials, in which investigational drugs are tested in healthy volunteers or patients for the first time. These early clinical studies raise fundamental ethical questions: Is it justifiable to expose patients or healthy participants to risks when they themselves receive no therapeutic benefit? How reliable is the underlying evidence from animal models or cell cultures? And what level of risk is acceptable? 

Jonathan Kimmelman combines philosophical analysis with empirical research to address such questions. His work focuses on the ethical challenges of translational research- that is, the process of transforming basic science into medical applications. A central concept in his work is “moral efficiency.” According to this principle, medical research is ethically justified when it generates the most reliable and useful knowledge possible while minimizing risks and burdens for research participants and animals. 

He has shown that studies may receive formal ethical approval yet still be morally inefficient—for example, if they are poorly designed, reported, or coordinated. He argues that the importance of moral efficiency becomes especially clear during times of crisis, when large numbers of poorly planned studies can consume resources, increase uncertainty and delay medical advance. 

Strengthening the Field of Research Ethics 

During his BIH Lecture in Spring 2024, Kimmelman emphasized that participation in clinical trials does not, on balance, benefit participants directly. Instead, the risks of study participation are justified by the potential societal value of the knowledge gained. His research helps ensure that clinical studies are designed to be both scientifically rigorous and ethically responsible. 

Kimmelman’s visionary research is intended to sustainably strengthen the ethics and efficiency of biomedical research in Germany and Europe, while advancing its conceptual and methodological development. At the BIH QUEST Center for Responsible Research, Kimmelman will provide new impetus for enhancing the quality, transparency, and trustworthiness of biomedical research. 

About Jonathan Kimmelman 

Jonathan Kimmelman is a Professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Before turning to Bioethics, he earned a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in the United States. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has held a James McGill Professorship since 2018, an honor recognizing outstanding and original researchers as international leaders in their fields. In 2014, he received a Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.