We receive tissue donations from two major sources: non-transplantable tissues from heart-beating donors, and tissue which is removed during surgical operations and would otherwise be discarded as biological waste.
Non-transplantable tissues may include organs such as the lung or kidney which are not appropriate for transplantation but are very valuable to researchers who require healthy tissue to find out more about how diseases are caused or how to prevent known diseases such as cancer.
Surgical excess tissues are tissues removed at operations on living patients. These types of operations are usually to remove diseased tissues, but to ensure that all the disease is removed, the surgeon will often try to remove a small amount of healthy tissue around the diseased part. Once examined to ensure it is disease free and the patient has the best chance of recovery, this tissue is usually discarded. With the patient’s consent however it can be a useful tool in research.
All tissue samples are donated with the informed consent of the donor or their family in the case of tissues from deceased patients. All NHS Trusts participating in the donation of tissues have given approval via their Research and Development Departments.
How the tissue is used
Tissue and organ donation to research provides an opportunity for people who wish to become donors, but whose tissues and organs are unsuitable for therapeutic use and might otherwise be discarded. Studies with human tissues and organs also serve as alternatives to the use of animals in research.
Approved researchers who wish to receive tissues for a particular study contact Abcellute Tissue Bank with their requirements, and are entered into a queue for the appropriate specimen these tissues are dispatched when the required specimen becomes available. The tissues are used by researchers in universities, medical centres, and biotechnology companies to assist scientific advances in the treatment or prevention of a variety of diseases.
Our commitment to ethics
It is vitally important that the public supports the use of human tissue to increase understanding of human disease and develop new and improved treatments. Abcellute Tissue Bank fully supports the ethical use of human tissues and believes that in order to maintain public confidence and trust, all tissue used must be obtained ethically and with appropriate consent, and be handled and used sensitively and responsibly by researchers.
