The Brazilian government responded November 19 to an October request by Mercio
Pereira, president of FUNAI, Brazil's indigenous affairs agency, to conduct a
federal police investigation into online sales of genetic material from Brazil's
indigenous peoples by a United States research center. The government asked the
international police agency Interpol to investigate online sales by Coriell,
a division of Coriell Institute for Medical Research. Living cells from Karitiana
and Suruí Indians, as well as other South and Central American indigenous
groups, are available from the company for research purposes for approximately
$85.
Indigenous blood and skin samples in most cases were deposited in the Coriell
cell bank by other scientists and research centers. Questions remain over whether
the samples from the Karitiana and Suruí peoples were obtained with
the individuals’ full and informed consent.
