Comparing Tribal Research and Specimens Policies: Models, Practices, and Principles

Abstract

This article reviews a range of tribal policies regarding the proper solicitation, collection, disposition, and return or disposal of biological samples, or biospecimens, which include not only the sample itself but also data, such as genetic information, derived from the sample. These policies are not always found within tribal regulation, and many that exist emerge from a discrete set of models, such as from the American Indian Law Center (AILC), the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR), and the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism (IPCB). Some policies merge language from these national models and conceptual papers with tribally specific foci, including incorporating tribal language for specific principles to guide research with that community and their biospecimens. The article concludes with recommendations for principles that emerge as paramount in the review for directing research involving biospecimens.