Abstract
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) have been designed to ensure that ethical considerations are in research projects. Although their role is vital in order to protect the rights of research participants, there are still unmet needs in improving the function and structure of IRBs. These aspects include but are not limited to inconsistency, conflict of interests, unequal sexual distribution, efficacy of non-scientific members, high expenses, unequal regional distribution, high work load, approach to reach a final decision, and the definition of minimal risk research.