Ecuador: U.S. lab sells blood samples of Huaorani Indigenous group

Posted on June 27, 2014 • Filed under: Ecuador, Latin America Health, Latin America Indigenous Issues

business-standard.com reported a US laboratory sold across at least eight countries, including India, blood samples taken without consent from an indigenous group, Ecuador alleged today after a months-long investigation. The samples were taken from the Huaorani ethnic group of about 3,000 people who live in a corner of Ecuador’s isolated Amazon basin region, it is alleged. The group is known for its unique genetic profile and immunity to disease, making it attractive to researchers. The New Jersey-based Coriell Institute for Medical Research “eventually sold it in at least eight countries,” Maria Del Pilar Troya, undersecretary of state for education and science, told AFP. Read Article

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