National regulations on the management of human genetic resources recently released by the State Council, which was approved at the 41st executive meeting on March 20, will go into effect on July 1, in a bid to effectively protect and reasonably utilize human genetic resources and safeguard public health, national security, and public interests.

According to the regulations, human genetic resource materials include a range of genetic materials that contain human genomes and genes, such as organs, tissues, and cells. And human genetic resource information refers to data derived from the genetic resource materials.

Anyone who collects, preserves, utilizes or provides China’s human genetic resources should comply with the regulations.

The technical administrative departments of the State Council will take care of the management work nationwide, curate any related surveys and formulate concrete approaches to the registration of important genetic genealogy and the human genetic resources in designated areas.

Other departments concerned within the State Council will also participate in this field. And the technical administrative departments at the provincial level should follow suit in this regard.

The country is supportive of reasonably employing human genetic resources to conduct scientific research projects, develop biological medicine, improve diagnosis and treatments, and uphold China’s biological security.

Foreign organizations and individuals, as well as organizations directly controlled by them, are not allowed to collect or preserve China’s human genetic resources, nor is providing such resources abroad.

Collecting, preserving, utilizing, and providing human genetic resources abroad should be in accordance with ethics principles, submit to corresponding ethics investigations, and meet the technical standards formulated by scientific administrative departments of the State Council, with no violations on the country’s public health, national security, and public interests.

Sales of human genetic resources are prohibited, said the regulations.