"In most of these countries, what used to be communicable diseases were the major health problems. All the non-communicable diseases are now taking over as the more communicable diseases are now under control," said professor Greg Collier, Autogen's director of research and development.

The Tonga database could allow Autogen to hunt down the genes behind common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, certain cancers and stomach ulcers. "All these things are appearing as affluence appears," Collier said. "Now a lot of the South Pacific islands provide good opportunities to look at these genes appearing in countries that are being rapidly modernized. And the countries are still relatively homogeneous in their genetic background."

Under the agreement with Tonga -- the only constitutional monarchy in the Pacific -- Autogen will establish a research facility in Tonga to build up a genetic database. Autogen won't own any of the samples it gathers -- they'll remain the property of Tonga -- but it will have exclusive access to the health database.

Collier said Autogen will use information from the database with partners and other companies to develop disease-specific drugs.

In return for access to these samples and data, Autogen will provide annual research funding to Tonga's Ministry of Health and royalties on revenues generated from any discoveries that are commercialized. Later, any pharmaceutical drugs that are produced and distributed would be given to Tonga free of charge.

Collier won't be drawn on the precise amount of money involved. "We're going to develop this as quickly as we can," he said, "and it will be serious money that goes in there."

Collier plans to visit Tonga next month and hopes to start collecting samples in January 2001.

All participation in the project is voluntary, according to the Tonga Ministry of Health. "We can't force them to take part in the survey," says the ministry's 'Ahio Tuakoi.

And the boss of Autogen Melbourne, mining entrepreneur Joseph Gutnick, is adamant the whole process will be of the highest ethical standards. "Hopefully through those studies, done on a very ethical manner, we'll be able to make new discoveries to enhance the living standard of the people living in Tonga and also for general humanity," Gutnick was reported as saying by Radio New Zealand.

The Ministry of Health has already identified potential volunteers from families with high rates of diseases such as cancer. "The study will not cover the whole population. It is only selected families where the disease is common, rather than taking the whole population," 'Ahio Tuakoi says.

In New Zealand, an extended family with a high rate of gastric cancer entered an agreement with researchers several years back. Otago University researchers, who were trying to track down the mutant gene behind the affected family's illness, agreed to split equally any proceeds from patents resulting from that work with the family trust.

Dr. Parry Guilford, the senior research fellow on that study, regards negotiated agreements between the study group and researchers as the only way to allay concerns over exploitation of smaller, seemingly vulnerable, communities. "I think there is a growing awareness that individuals or families do have a major stake in this kind of research," he said.

"You kind of get suspicious when you see people going off to little islands and things and you're going to immediately think there's something going on which is mischievous," Guilford said. "It's not because they (the group being studied) are poor and probably uneducated or largely uneducated that they (the researchers) are doing it. It's because they do offer this tremendously powerful resource from a genetic viewpoint to actually go out and find these genes."

The Autogen research will have added spinoffs for Tonga: more training and work for scientists and modern equipment available to the hospital when not in use for the genetic research.

In Tonga so far, according to the ministry, people have no qualms about the move. "We haven't received any concerns from the public yet so far," Tuakoi said.

He's hopeful Tongans will see the benefits for the wider community. "I'm sure people will appreciate the effort for the benefit of the public at large."