[geekjock]

"I'm a bit pessimistic that much of this research is being driven by large orgs in collaboration with researchers who aren't sufficiently independent."

I'm one of the co-authors of the study. I think your sentiment is valid but what you describe is true for most fields of research: conflicts of interest can be a problem.

I can attest to the fact that the researchers behind this study have extensive backgrounds in academic research and hold themselves to high standards. If nothing else, not doing so risks putting individual reputations on the line.

[flurie]

Thank you for the response! Though I think in taking the rest of the context of my criticism away you've avoided the main point of it, which isn't conflict of interest, but whom your research serves to benefit. For example, it would be a shame if cancer research were carried out only on rich or educated participants. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't work with the population you have access to, but perhaps you should give some thought to how you can broaden participation.