Human Tissue Resource Centre
News
The Act is in force
From 1 September 2006, the following activities had to have applied for a licence with the Human Tissue Authority under the Human Tissue Act 2004:
- Anatomical examination
- Post mortem examination
- Removal of material from deceased persons in certain circumstances
- Storage of post mortem material
- Storage of anatomical specimens
- Storage of material from a living person (e.g. for research)
- Public display of a body or material from a deceased person.
A total of 21 research tissue banks (RTB) have registered with the HTRC. These establishments are storing human organs, tissues and cells for research purposes other than for a specific ethically approved research project.
The Human Tissue Resource Centre (HTRC) has been granted two deemed licences for research tissue banks with Charterhouse Square and Whitechapel, which authorise the establishment to continue its activities, pending evaluation and assessment of our application and compliance report by the Human Tissue Authority.
If your department is collecting or distributing tissue surplus tissue for research and/or are storing tissue that is NOT connected to an ethically approved research project AND you have not informed the Human Tissue Resource Centre, then you must do so immediately. To download a registration form, go to Tissue collection registration.
Main points for research tissue banks to note
The HTRC is working on changes to the process of obtaining consent for research. We are developing policies on the collection, storage and distribution of human tissue for research; and working on getting a centralised data tracking system in place. In the interim, we encourage RTBs to have procedures in place to:
- Obtain consent for the use and storage of tissue
- Record where samples are stored
- Record how and by whom tissue is disposed
The Act does not distinguish between blocks and slides and any other form of human tissue containing cells, so all forms of tissue need to be accounted for and tracked.
Note: In response to the HTA's recent decision on relevant material, the HTRC Steering Committee has agreed that plasma and serum shall NOT be regarded as relevant material. Groups storing plasma and serum only will not have to be registered under the BLT license. For more information, go to What is 'relevant material'?