Whose genes are they anyway?

Indigenous Peoples, Postcolonial Contexts and Genomic Research in the Late 20th Century

In the 1960s the human geneticist James V. Neel and collaborators launched a research program aimed at investigating the human biology of South American indigenous populations, which would become one of the most influential such studies in the second half of the 20th century. In the first part of this article I explore the trajectory of some components of the Amazonian research program and situate it in the context of worldwide human biological research in the 1960s and 1970s. In the second half I suggest that the comparative analysis of previous research on the human biology of indigenous peoples might provide insights into highly debated issues pertaining to contemporaneous research agendas, including the `Human Genome Diversity Project' (HGDP).

China's genetic services providers' attitudes towards several ethical issues: a cross-cultural survey

Attitudes towards ethical, legal and social issues in genetic research and practice were investigated in 402 genetic services providers from 30 provinces and autonomous regions in China. This was done using a Chinese version of an international survey questionnaire on ethics and genetics that has been circulated in 37 nations. In all, 255 study participants completed questionnaires (63%). The majority of the respondents (89%) reported that they agreed with the current Chinese laws and regulations on termination of pregnancy for genetic abnormalities and non-medical indications, on the basis of considerations of population control and family planning. More than half the respondents opposed sex selection by prenatal diagnosis in the absence of an X-linked disorder. However, most of them (86%) would prefer directive counseling. More than half would agree to disclose genetic information to relatives at risk, and would permit third parties such as law enforcement agencies, spouse/partner, blood relatives, employers involving public safety, life and health insurers to access stored DNA without consent. The majority (73%-98%) also thought that DNA fingerprinting should be required for prisoners convicted of or charged with crimes, members of armed forces and all newborns. Although these are only the first part of the results of our international survey, they provide an initial basis for international discussion on ethics and genetics in China.

[Ethics and biomedical research in Amerindian societies in Brazil]

This paper discusses the ethics of biomedical research in Amerindian populations of Brazil, focusing on the obtainment of informed consent in field work involving the collection of biological samples. The authors emphasize that the current legislation does not specifically regulate biomedical research in these populations. From an anthropological standpoint, the authors discuss some of the difficulties in obtaining a "truly" informed consent. The relevance of the discussion on research ethics is of growing importance due to the possibility of commercial use of human biological samples, as illustrated by the ongoing debate on the granting of patents to human genetic materials.