New Regulations Needed For Patients Receiving Animal Tissue Donation
ScienceDaily (Jun. 30, 2007) — A new article in The Journal of Law,
Medicine and Ethics calls for a change in the regulations surrounding
xenotransplantation
organs into humans. Although few xenotransplantation procedures have
been done to this time, there appears to be a lack of awareness among
potential xenotransplant patients about the risk of the procedures,
and the required lifetime of infectious disease monitoring that come
with it.
"When animal cells are transplanted into a human, there is always a
risk of new diseases emerging, which is why the federal government
requires that a recipient must always be monitored long-term," says
Dr. Monique Spillman, co-author of the study. "Patients should be
aware of the realities of life after the transplant before they make
any decisions."
This issue has become particularly urgent recently, due to the
theoretical risk that stem cell trials may involve human cell lines
that have been in contact with animal tissue. Although the stem cells
are human, they have to be subject to xenotransplant surveillance
protocols due to contact with animal tissues in the laboratory.
"While patients may be excited about these new therapies, they may
not be aware that under the current federal regulations, the
recipient of a xenotransplant must submit to lifelong surveillance
for infectious diseases, even if the animal organ or tissue is
removed," says Spillman. The authors suggest that patients deciding
whether or not to receive animal tissue should be provided with
a "Ulysses contract," which requires the patient to agree to lifetime
surveillance if a xenotransplant is done. In accepting the contract,
the patient, in essence, waives a basic right, the right to refuse
follow-up testing.
Ultimately, the goal is to provide patients with the most informed
choices while still protecting public health. "Potential recipients
would have the options to accept the contract, to decline the
contract and wait for a traditional transplant, or to accept the
consequences of their end-organ failure," says Spillman, "but most
importantly, they would be selecting the option that best fits their
situation and desires."
Adapted from materials provided by Blackwell Publishing Ltd..
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MLA Blackwell Publishing Ltd. (2007, June 30). New Regulations
Needed For Patients Receiving Animal Tissue Donation. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved January 19, 2008, from http://www.scienced
/releases/2007/
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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