BOSTON (Reuters) - A US federal agency charged with monitoring human health research is looking into studies in China, including two relating to genetics, being conducted by three Harvard-affiliated institutions, a university official confirmed on Tuesday.

The Boston Globe reported the investigation came in response to a complaint by a former faculty member of Harvard's School of Public Health questioning how the participants, some illiterate, joined the studies. The complaint asked if they knowingly consented, were coerced by local Chinese officials or were offered payment.

Confirming the probe, Robin Herman, director of communications at Harvard's School of Public Health said, ``We got a request for information on five studies, only two of which have genetic components.''

``We gave them all the information they needed ... they have had it since December,'' she said. There is no indication when the investigation will conclude.

The Globe reported that the US Office for Human Research Protection was looking into studies conducted in China by the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts Mental Health Research Corp.

Herman said the groups took special care to be sure the studies, which involve research on illnesses such as asthma, obesity and miscarriage, were conducted in an ethical manner, traveling to China and working with local Chinese institutions.

The complaint, which the Globe said it had obtained, also asks if DNA samples slipped into Chinese government hands. This, according to the complaint, could put participants at risk of discrimination or forced sterilization.

The former faculty member also raised the issue of whether participants might have been hurt by the use of unsterilized needles to draw blood.

The research is not related to any clinical trials and the only medical procedure involved is the taking of blood samples, Herman said. Participants also fill out questionnaires as part of the studies.

The school's dean was quoted by the Globe as saying that standards for the studies are as high as those for research in the United States.

(From Yahoo)