Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Sending genetic samples abroad: the rules in India | CION Cancer Clinics
Most inherited cancer tests ordered in India are run in India, but some samples, or the raw data from them, go to laboratories abroad. For a clinical test, the laboratory handles the export paperwork. For research, ethics approval and often government clearance are needed first. Your consent form should say where your sample goes and what happens to it. This page explains the rules and the questions worth asking. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can my genetic sample be sent out of India?
- Who is responsible when a sample goes abroad?
- What should you ask before your sample is sent?
- The words on the consent form, in plain language
- A clinical test abroad or a research study abroad: what differs?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four worries families raise about samples going abroad
- Common questions about sending samples abroad
The short answer
Can my genetic sample be sent out of India?
Yes, in some cases. Most inherited cancer testing ordered in Hyderabad is done in Indian laboratories. Some specialised tests, or a second look at the raw data, are handled by partner laboratories abroad. Whether your sample leaves the country should be written on the consent form, and you are entitled to ask before you sign.
Clinical tests and research are treated differently
A clinical test is done to answer a question about your health or your family's. The laboratory is responsible for the export paperwork and the courier rules for biological samples. Research is different. Sending Indian samples abroad for a study needs ethics committee approval, a written transfer agreement and, for many international projects, clearance from the Health Ministry's Screening Committee.
Your data can travel even when your sample does not
Many laboratories run the chemistry in India and send the sequence data abroad for analysis, or the other way round. That data is covered by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which allows transfer abroad except to countries the government chooses to restrict.
Ask two questions, not one. Where is my sample tested, and where is my data stored?Who does what
Who is responsible when a sample goes abroad?
Several people have a role. Only one of them is you, and your consent is the one that cannot be skipped.
The Indian laboratory
It takes your consent, collects the sample and arranges the shipment. It stays answerable to you even when the test is run elsewhere.
It should
- Give you the report and explain it
- Tell you where the test was run
- Hold the agreement with its partner
The partner laboratory abroad
It runs the test or the analysis. It follows its own country's rules as well as its contract with the Indian laboratory, including what happens to anything left over.
The committees, for research
An ethics committee checks that research use is fair and consent is proper. International projects often also need government clearance before any sample leaves.
None of this applies to a routine clinical test. It applies when a study is involved.You
You decide whether your sample may be used for anything beyond your own test. You can ask questions, refuse research use, and ask later for your sample to be destroyed.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore you sign
What should you ask before your sample is sent?
Where will the test be done?
Ask for the name of the laboratory that will actually run it, and the country. A good laboratory answers this without hesitation.
Will any sample be kept afterwards?
Some laboratories keep leftover blood or DNA for quality checks or repeat testing. Ask where it is kept, for how long, and what happens to it after that.
Will my data leave India?
Ask where the sequence data and the report are stored, and who can read them. Cloud storage abroad is common and should be stated plainly.
Could my sample be used for research?
Look for a separate tick box for research use. If there is none, ask in writing that your sample be used only for your own test.
How do I change my mind?
Ask who to write to if you later want research consent withdrawn or your sample destroyed, and whether the request reaches the partner abroad.
On the consent form
The words on the consent form, in plain language
- Material transfer agreement
- A contract between two institutions saying what may be done with a sample once it leaves, and what may not.
- De-identified
- Your name and obvious details are replaced with a code. Someone holding the key can still link the sample back to you.
- Anonymised
- No link back to you is kept at all. Genetic data is hard to make truly anonymous, because DNA is itself identifying.
- Data fiduciary
- The organisation that decides how your personal data is used, and answers to you for it under the data protection law.
- Cross-border transfer
- Sending personal data to a server or an organisation outside India.
- Residual sample
- Whatever is left of your blood, saliva or DNA once the test is finished.
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Side by side
A clinical test abroad or a research study abroad: what differs?
Clinical test
Research study
Answers a question about your health
Answers a scientific question
The laboratory arranges the export paperwork
Needs ethics approval and often government clearance
You receive a written report
You may never receive an individual result
Leftovers follow the laboratory's stated policy
Leftovers follow the transfer agreement and your consent
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you where a particular laboratory sends its samples. Arrangements change, and partners change with them. The laboratory named on your consent form is the only reliable source, and you should get its answer in writing.
It is not legal advice
The rules on exporting biological material and moving data across borders are technical, and the data protection law is being brought into force in stages. If you have a specific concern about how your sample or data was handled, a lawyer can advise you properly.
Who this does not apply to
Most families never need to think about this. If your laboratory tests in India and stores data here, none of it applies. Testing a tumour to choose a medicine is a different question, covered on our targeted therapy pages. What a specific variant on your report means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
Commonly believed
Four worries families raise about samples going abroad
"A foreign laboratory will own my DNA."
Use is set by your consent and the transfer agreement, not by where the sample sits. A clinical laboratory runs the test that was ordered. Anything more needs your permission.
"Results from abroad are always more accurate."
Accuracy depends on a laboratory's methods and checks, not its country. Indian laboratories can hold national and international accreditation too. Ask which one yours holds.
"Once it leaves India, Indian law cannot protect me."
The Indian laboratory stays answerable to you here. The data protection law also reaches processing abroad when it is linked to a service offered to people in India.
"If I refuse, I cannot be tested at all."
You can often choose a laboratory that tests in India, or refuse research use and still have the clinical test. Ask before assuming you have no choice.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about sending samples abroad
Do Indian laboratories send genetic samples abroad?
Some do, for particular tests or for analysis of the raw data. Many run everything in India. The consent form should say which applies to you. If it does not, ask the laboratory directly and keep its written reply with your report.
Is it allowed to send my blood sample out of India for a test?
For a clinical test, laboratories do this through the export and courier rules that apply to biological samples, and the paperwork is theirs to handle. Research is stricter, and needs ethics approval and often government clearance before anything is sent.
Can my sample be used for research abroad without my permission?
It should not be. Research use needs your consent, ethics committee approval and a transfer agreement. Look for a separate research tick box on the form. If there is none, ask in writing that your sample be used only for your own test.
Will my data be stored on servers outside India?
It may be. Many analysis tools and cloud services sit abroad. The data protection law allows this except to countries the government restricts. Ask where your data is stored and how long it is kept before you sign, not afterwards.
Can I ask for my sample to be destroyed after testing?
You can ask, and you should get a written answer. Some laboratories keep leftovers for quality checks. If the sample went abroad, the request goes through the Indian laboratory, which holds the agreement with its partner and must pass it on.
Does sending a sample abroad delay the result?
It can add time for shipping and customs. The laboratory should give you an expected date at the start. If the result is needed for a treatment decision, tell your doctor, because a test run in India may come back sooner.
Can a relative's stored sample be sent after they have died?
Sometimes a stored tissue block or DNA sample from a relative who has died can still be tested. Consent usually comes from the next of kin. Your counsellor will explain what is possible, where it would be tested and who needs to sign.
Who should I ask about where my sample is going?
Start with the genetic counsellor or the doctor who ordered the test. They can get a firm answer from the laboratory. Call the CION helpline if you are not sure who ordered it, and someone will help you find out.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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Sources
- Indian Council of Medical Research — National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, 2017
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology — The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023)
- Press Information Bureau — Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is informed consent?
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Consent for research use of your sampleWhat you are agreeing to when you tick the research boxSample storage, destruction and withdrawalHow to get a leftover sample destroyedYour genetic data under the DPDP Act 2023Your rights over the data, wherever it is storedGenetic data and direct-to-consumer companiesWhere data goes when you test without a doctor
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Not sure where your sample is being tested?
Tell us which test was ordered and by whom. We will help you find out where it is being run and what happens to your sample afterwards. One helpline serves every CION centre.