Ethical Issues in Developing Pharmacogenetic Research Partnerships With American Indigenous Communities

What is this about?

This article describes two factual cases about the use of samples collected from two American indigenous communities (NuuChah-Nulth First Nation in British Columbia, Canada and Havasupai Tribe in the US) for genetic research. In both cases consent was acquired for an initial study, but later, research samples were used for other purposes that the communities had not consented to.

Why is this important?

It shows two specific cases of having informed consent about further use of research samples are taken for granted. It also provides a brief overview of the legal procedure that affected communities can follow in The United States, and possible rulling of the courte in these cases.