The Navajo Nation is considering lifting its 15 year ban on genetic testing for its nation’s members as a way for its members to receive specialize cancer treatment based on their genetic information. The tribe originally banned the use of genetic testing for cancer and other health issues due to the fear of its members DNA being misused, similar to the misuse of genetic information that occurred with the Havasupai tribe of Arizona. The Havasupai tribe initially donated blood samples for diabetes research but later found that the samples were used for genetic studies of schizophrenia, migration and inbreeding. Some of the information uncovered by the misuse of their DNA challenged the Havasupai’s claim to their ancestral lands, which they feared could be used to take their traditional lands away. To prevent the misuse of its nation’s genetic information, the Navajo Nation is developing new policies that would allows the tribe to maintain ownership of its members’ DNA and restricting what research can be done.
To read the Nature coverage click here, for more information on the misuse of the Havasupai DNA click here.
-Kristen Tuosto
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