Medical database for Tonga

The government of Tonga has granted Australian biotech firm Autogen the right to ask all the inhabitants of its 170 islands for DNA samples and medical information. The resulting medical database will be used to identify genes involved in diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The company chose Tonga because of its isolation (it lies 1,245 miles north-east of New Zealand), which makes it easier to track altered genes associated with illness. It was colonised by Polynesian people 3,500 years ago, and just 300 of its current population of 108,000 have European ancestry.

A similar databases set up in Iceland by deCODE Genetics met with resistance from some members of the country's medical community. But Greg Collier, director of research and development at Autogen, says the Tongan agreement should avoid any ethical problems. Rather than requiring people to opt out of the project, as in Iceland, participation in the Tongan database will require informed consent. The Tongan government will also receive a share of the profits if any new drugs are developed as a result of the research.

Geneticist Stephen Harrap, of the University of Melbourne, warned that the results of the project may not be widely relevant. 'Some genes are only present in certain populations, and only relevant if they are triggered by certain environmental conditions' he told New Scientist's online news service.