This paper discusses the ethics of biomedical research in Amerindian populations of Brazil, focusing on the obtainment of informed consent in field work involving the collection of biological samples. The authors emphasize that the current legislation does not specifically regulate biomedical research in these populations. From an anthropological standpoint, the authors discuss some of the difficulties in obtaining a "truly" informed consent. The relevance of the discussion on research ethics is of growing importance due to the possibility of commercial use of human biological samples, as illustrated by the ongoing debate on the granting of patents to human genetic materials.
Ethics; Research; Biomedicine; Genetics; Amerindians