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• Serious danger of Abuse and exploitation
  Frederick. N. Nakwagala
  Published on: 18 May 2017
• Material Transfer Agreements are a "must" when transfering specimens across national boundaries
  Paul Ndebele
  Published on: 18 May 2017

• Published on: 18 May 2017

  Serious danger of Abuse and exploitation

  • Frederick. N. Nakwagala, Physician

  It is difficult to police the use of stored specimens across borders and different jurisdictions. While many research participants may not stand in immediate personal danger, it is obvious that many collaborating partners are being exploited. When laboratory based studies are done on these samples, the originating partners miss out on publications. If one runs a simple survey on authorship of these publications, very few...

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  It is difficult to police the use of stored specimens across borders and different jurisdictions. While many research participants may not stand in immediate personal danger, it is obvious that many collaborating partners are being exploited. When laboratory based studies are done on these samples, the originating partners miss out on publications. If one runs a simple survey on authorship of these publications, very few names of African authors are found. Is this not a form of exploitation?

  The other fear is community harm. Often times one comes across genetic markers that may be used to alter fertility or be used by people of diabolic minds to design germs that may be specific to certain genetic subpopulations. This kind of covert studies may take place while originators of sample sources have no control.

  I suggest an international audit should inspect what has happened to sample sources stored across various labs to find out if investigators have stood by the MTA's.

  Conflict of Interest:

  None declared

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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• Published on: 18 May 2017

  Material Transfer Agreements are a "must" when transfering specimens across national boundaries

  • Paul Ndebele, Bioethicist

  Dear Editor,

  The issue of transferring human research specimens across national boundaries has become a hot issue especially for Developing Countries due to fears of exploitation. Stories of "parachute, tourist and mosquito" researchers are common in Africa and other Developing Countries. These are researchers who come from Developed Countries to Developing Countries just to collect specimens and then leave to go...

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  Dear Editor,

  The issue of transferring human research specimens across national boundaries has become a hot issue especially for Developing Countries due to fears of exploitation. Stories of "parachute, tourist and mosquito" researchers are common in Africa and other Developing Countries. These are researchers who come from Developed Countries to Developing Countries just to collect specimens and then leave to go back and work in their laboratories. The next time one hears about these researchers is when they are publishing. Researchers and institutions from Developing Countries also complain of being "used" as specimen collection technicians and specimen collection centres who are not in any way involved in the analysis of data, writing, publication and sharing of other benefits.

  In order to ensure that we minimise on the possibilities of exploitation and promote partnership, material transfer agreements (MTAs) are the way forward. We can no longer depend on trust alone since the trust has been abused on so many occasions. A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract that governs the transfer of tangible research materials between two institutions. It defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the materials, and any derivatives. The MTAs would have to spell out the exact specimens being transferred, the quantities being transferred, the exact purpose for which they are being transferred, issues relating to the maintenance of confidentiality, access issues, continuation of partnership, publication and intellectual property issues as well as the disposal of the specimens. The MTA would even specify that no new study can be conducted using the stored specimens without the involvement of the provider institution and without the approval from the provider institution's ethics committee.

  Because of some problems that have occured in the past, some institutions in Developing Countries have been forced to upgrage their storage facilities so as to be able to keep duplicates of specimens transferred to other countries. Whilst this precautionary measure may make sense to the institutions and researchers, to the research participant it translates into "more of the specimen than is necessary for the specific study".

  Researchers are not the owners of human specimens that have been kindly donated by research participants but are merely stewardes entrusted with this resource on behalf of mankind. To this end, the Ethics Committees in Developing Countries should review the MTAs on behalf of communities and the "real" owners of the specimens so as to ensure that the rights and welfare of research participants continue to be promoted and protected. Instead of continuing to send specimens to other countriues, international collaborative research should assist in building the capacities of Developing Country institutions, laboratoties and researchers so that in future they can conduct their own research independently. That way local institutions and researchers can drive the research agenda and conduct relevant and priority research.

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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