Biomedical tissue is

biological tissue In biology, tissue is a biological organizational level between cells and a complete organ. A tissue is an ensemble of similar cells and their extracellular matrix from the same origin that together carry out a specific function. Organs are ...

used for

organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ (anatomy), organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organ ...

ation and medical research, particularly cancer research. When it is used for research it is a

biological specimen A biological specimen (also called a biospecimen) is a biological laboratory specimen held by a biorepository for research. Such a specimen would be taken by sampling so as to be representative of any other specimen taken from the source of ...

. Such tissues and organs may be referred to as implant tissue,

allograft Allotransplant (''allo-'' meaning "other" in Greek) is the transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs to a recipient from a genetically non-identical donor of the same species. The transplant is called an allograft, allogeneic transplant, ...

xenograft Xenotransplantation (''xenos-'' from the Greek meaning "foreign" or strange), or heterologous transplant, is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenograf ...

skin graft Skin grafting, a type of graft surgery, involves the transplantation of skin. The transplanted tissue is called a skin graft. Surgeons may use skin grafting to treat: * extensive wounding or trauma * burns * areas of extensive skin loss ...

tissue, human transplant tissue, or implant bone. Tissue is stored in tissue establishments or tissue banks under cryogenic conditions. Fluids such as blood, blood products and urine are stored in fluid banks under similar conditions.

Regulation

The collection, storage, analysis and transplantation of human tissue involves significant ethical and safety issues, and is heavily regulated. Each country sets its own framework for ensuring the safety of human tissue products. The regulation of human transplantation in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

is set out in the

Human Tissue Act 2004 The Human Tissue Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that applied to England, Northern Ireland and Wales, which consolidated previous legislation and created the Human Tissue Authority to "regulate the removal, storage, ...

and managed by the

Human Tissue Authority The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom. It regulates the removal, storage, use and disposal of human bodies, organs and tissue for a numb ...

. Tissue banks in the US are monitored by the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA). The

Code of Federal Regulations In the law of the United States, the ''Code of Federal Regulations'' (''CFR'') is the codification of the general and permanent regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States. ...

sets out the following topics: * Donor Screening and Testing: the determination of donor suitability for human tissue intended for transplantation. * Procedures and Records: the written procedures and records that must be kept * Inspection of Tissue Establishments: the importation of tissues from abroad and the retention, recall, and destruction of human tissue.

Notable regulation cases

* Biomedical Tissue Services, Inc. is at the heart of an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration.&nbs
FDA Provides Information on Investigation into Human Tissue for Transplantation

Footnotes

External links

The UK Human Tissue Act 2004

Specimen Central biorepository list
A worldwide listing of active biobanks and biorepositories {{Organ transplantation Tissues (biology) Transplantation medicine Medical ethics

Regulation

Notable regulation cases

See also

Footnotes

External links