The issue focused on setting up medical experiments with biological samples from inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison in California. That prison has long been criticized by prisoners as well as doctors for failing to address chronic conditions such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C.

Earlier this month, scientists announced they had concluded that genetic engineering technology used in agriculture could provide medicine for diseases including obesity and diabetes. Scientists say genetic modification technology may offer ways to tackle genetic disorders without needing animal experiments or laboratory animals.

Several scientific studies have linked genetics