Company Gains Research Rights To Tongan Genome

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Tuesday November 21, 2000 @09:23PM from the shouldn't-that-be-the-tongans'-not-'tonga's'? dept.

spam_it_to_me_baby writes: "An Australian listed company, Autogen, has acquired research rights to the Kingdom of Tonga's gene pool. The Pacific island's 108,000 residents will be used by the company to identify genes that cause common diseases. Autogen says serum or DNA samples collected in Tonga shall remain the property of Tonga, while Autogen will build the genetic database on which the research will be based. More here." Similar to research going to collect the genetic information of everyone in Iceland, another place with a winning combination of low population and historical isolation. A single company (Decode) also won the "rights" to that information, for a mere $200 million.

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Are Tongan civil rights eroded? by judd · 2000-11-21 16:31 · Score: 5

I note that apparently Autogen has exclusive rights over all samples collected in Tonga, which in turn belong to Tonga.

So if Jonah Lomu gives blood in New Zealand, it belongs to him. If he goes home to Tonga, all rights over it belong to Autogen.

./ers may not be aware that Tonga still has a autocratic monarchy, with a parliament with a majority of seats guaranteed to noble families. Tongans who want a democratic system tend to find themselves in jail. Looks to me like Autogen has cynically found a jurisdiction with a compliant and corrupt ruling clique. Shame on them.