The first comparative study of human genetic biobanking and genetic sampling in Asia, this work addresses emerging socio-political and economic concerns regarding biobanking activities in China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and Japan. First, it illuminates conflicting interests in various Asian contexts between groups that favour rapid scientific advancement and those that emphasize the importance of public trust in managing biobanking activities. Second it explores the social and economic problems that arise from biobanking activities in developing countries, focusing on national interests, the genetic sampling of vulnerable peoples, and the urge to overtake advanced countries in the field of genomics. Third, it discusses political, sociocultural and legal issues relevant to biobanking activities in wealthy societies that aim to develop a regulatory infrastructure for biobanking. A unique examination of biobanking policy-making grounded in empirical, multi-sited studies, this is a highly important work that illuminates the biosciences that are changing human society, at work in the rapidly developing countries of Asia.
