A top American publishing company, Wiley, has retracted over a dozen genetics studies conducted in China. The retracted studies, performed by multiple researchers analyzing DNA from vulnerable Chinese minority populations like the Uyghurs and Tibetans, were published between 2019 and 2021 in Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine (MGGM). The retractions followed accusations by human rights groups who suggested that these oppressed populations might not have been able to provide free and informed consent for their samples to be included in the studies.
MGGM retracted one study that analyzed blood samples from 120 Tibetans in Lhasa after an ethical review found discrepancies between the consent documentation and the actual research. The specifics of the consent were not adequately detailed, and the issued documentation did not permit the data to be shared publicly. Consequently, the article was retracted. In another retracted paper, the researchers examined blood samples from 340 Uyghurs in Kashgar in a study intended to provide resources for forensic identification and paternity testing.
Bioethicist and geneticist Yves Moreau from Belgium initially flagged concerns about these papers to MGGM’s editor-in-chief, Suzanne Hart, in March 2021. Of the nearly 100 papers Moreau identified as potentially problematic, approximately 60 percent have at least one co-author affiliated with a law-enforcement entity or a public security bureau. This fact raises additional concerns about the legitimacy of consent provided since some papers list police officers as involved in sample collection. In response to this situation, publishers, including Wiley, are revising their informed consent policies to ensure increased scrutiny when researchers work with data from potentially vulnerable groups.
The Chinese Communist Party frequently receives criticism for its blatant human rights violations. This week it was reported that the CCP successfully compromised the Obama White House thanks to its close ties with the Biden family.