Human blood and tissue samples have played a paramount role in the research and development of biomedical advancements. The regulations in this fast growing field are not clearly defined. This begs the question: how do we ethically collect biomedical samples of human blood and tissues?
There are a number of treaties and laws that have sprung up in recent years to ensure these samples are collected in an objectively moralistic manner. It is imperative that laboratories and researchers undergo due diligence to inform and acquire consent from their patients when collecting ffpe tissue microarray for a biorepository.
Tissues samples are collected for research, patient diagnosis, and patient treatment. They can be taken from cadaver tissues or tissues with reproductive potential. But who gets to determine the fate of these specimens? And who owns the rights to them?
Many laws have arisen to ensure the ethical procurement of ffpe tissues and to establish their purpose. It is important to recognize, however, that laws, treaties and regulations do not specify who owns the samples once they've been collected.
The most important concern when addressing tissue procurement ethics, be it for cancer, lymphoma, leukemia or any other such research, is to establish informed consent with the patient providing the sample. The purpose of the research study and the duration of their willful participation must be thoroughly explained to the sample provider. Such laws, treaties and regulations have allowed for biomedical research and the collection of tissue samples to evolve along ethical guidelines.
Sources:
Human Tissue Ownership and Use in Research: What Laboratorians and Researchers Should Know
Body of Research - Ownership and Use of Human Tissue
