Pioneers in genetic partnership

Wasik with Fox at the University of California, San Diego. Variant Bio is using genetic information from Indigenous people to develop drugs for obesity and diabetes. — ©2025 The New York Times Company

WHEN Stephane Castel first met with a group of Maori people and other Pacific Islanders in New Zealand to discuss his biotech company’s plans for genetic research, the reception was cautious.

Community members feared a repeat of past exploitations where researchers profited from their genetic material without regard for their welfare.