Human Tissue Research Essay (Research Paper Sample)

HUMAN TISSUE RESEARCH
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Human Tissue Research
The research of human tissues can be traced back to Ancient Greece and the prime of the Roman empire. However, following the Roman Empire's collapse, cadavers became illegal in many countries, and anatomical research came to a halt. Researchers were arrested for post-mortem dissections for several years after. Similarly, researchers at European medical schools were not allowed to examine the human body and its tissues for risk of being prosecuted until the 15th century. Since then, human studies have considerably changed, and tissue samples have become essential to diagnosis and testing. The acquisition of human tissues is done through the prospective collection of tissues for a research project, the leveraging of tissues with reproductive capacity such as embryos, zygotes, sperm and eggs and tissues from a cadaveric source. Tissue is also acquired from clinical specimen and samples like during clinical exercises like treatment and diagnosing. Such tissue is deemed to be valuable for research as well as foetal tissues which are a by-product of clinical procedures. Questions regarding the fate of human tissues have arisen due to the increased utilization of human tissue in medical science and research institutions. This essay examines whether human tissue research has not been properly constrained by looking at tissue research statistics in different countries, the importance of human tissue research, and considerations for human tissue research. The essay also looks at the laws governing human tissue research, a few cases of human tissue research, and ultimately makes recommendations to enhance future human tissue research.[Monica Allen et al., "Human Tissue Ownership and Use in Research: What Laboratorians and Researchers Should Know," OUP Academic, last modified 2010, https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/56/11/1675/5622252.] [Ibid] [Ibid]
Human Tissue Research National Statistics
For the most part, data on human tissue research among countries is available for industrialized nations more than for third-world nations. For instance, in the United States, the National Institute of Health explains that it has been supporting and overseeing human tissue research since the 1950s and has invested north of $76 million every year towards the venture. In 2014, for instance, the NIH supported foetal research projects at Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Stamford University. On the other hand, the Health Research Authority oversees human tissue research in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Similarly, the Human Tissue Authority is deemed to be the regulator of human tissue and organ use in the United Kingdom. Both these authorities reiterate the importance of regulation and supervision of human tissue research, explaining the little data available on the subject. In the United States, human tissue research seems to be decentralized, whereby the federal authority empowered the NIH, which also empowered and entrusted the research to different universities.[NIH, "Human Tissue and Organ Research Resource (HTORR)," National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), last modified 2021,] [Ibid] [HRA, "Use of Human Tissue in Research," Health Research Authority, last modified 2019, https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/policies-standards-legislation/use-tissue-research/] [HTA, Find out What the HTA Can Do for You, last modified 2021, https://www.hta.gov.uk/.]
Just like the UK, Europe’s approach to human tissue research is restrictive. For instance, human tissue in most European nations can only be accessed through specialized hospital banks. In rare cases, specialized activities are outsourced by biomedical companies, creating a bit of tension profit-driven companies and altruistic principles. Meanwhile, political desire and lobbying by industries to promote the development of biotechnology and employment opportunities have culminated in business-like legislation and handling of human tissue in some European nations. In some nations, the activity is rather pronounced that it has taken priority over research and the needs of patients. Business-like legislation and handling of human tissue phenomenon was seen in Belgium following a grey area in the law that governs and regulates human tissue access. Truyers et al argue that after the Belgian law was enacted, it was so inexhaustive that it seemed like Belgium had no specific legislation for the regulation of human tissue and related databases. On a global scale, these guidelines are provided by a framework mandated by the World Health organization.[Christian Lenk et al., Human Tissue research: A European Perspective on the Ethical and Legal Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2011)] [Jean-Paul Pinnay et al., "Access to Human Tissues for Research and Product Development: From EU Regulation to Alarming Legal Developments in Belgium," PubMed Central (PMC), last modified 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428037/.] [Ibid] [Christian Lenk et al., Human Tissue research: A European Perspective on the Ethical and Legal Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2011)] [Carla Truyers et al., "The Use of Human Tissue in Epidemiological Research; Ethical and Legal Considerations in Two Biobanks in Belgium," PubMed, last modified 2010,] [WHO, "Human Cell and Tissue Transplantation," WHO | World Health Organization, last modified 2021, https://www.who.int/transplantation/cell_tissue/en/?]
In more ways than one, the differences in access and use of human tissue for research in the nations above hinges on the nature of regulations in these countries. Akin to the black market available globally for human organs, it is arguable that a huge black market for human tissue is available and is widely undocumented in the literature. Such a deduction is because of the stringent nature of human tissue research and the profit motive from dealing in the same. The presence of regulations on human tissue research has preserved the ethical questions and considerations that are one of the most pertinent for what it is worth.[ Acams, "Organ Trafficking: The Unseen Form of Human Trafficking," ACAMS Today, last modified 2018, https://www.acamstoday.org/organ-trafficking-the-unseen-form-of-human-trafficking/.] [Ashwini Nagappan, "Turning to the Kidney Black Market As a Last Resort," Bioethics Research Library, last modified 2019, https://bioethics.georgetown.edu/2017/01/turning-to-the-kidney-black-market-as-a-last-resort/.]
Importance of Human Tissue Research
Tissue is important in detecting and classifying cancers, including determining whether or not an individual has cancer and the type of cancer and its characteristics. In certain instances, a biopsy is needed for cancer diagnosis. A biopsy is a process whereby the physician extracts a tissue sample. A pathologist then examines the tissue under a microscope and does further testing to determine cancerous. In a pathology report, the pathologist outlines the findings and provides more diagnosis information. Pathology analyses are crucial in cancer diagnosis and determining options of treatment.[Alexandre Reuben et al., "Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research," PubMed Central (PMC), last modified 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4692755/.] [Carla Truyers et al., "The Use of Human Tissue in Epidemiological Research; Ethical and Legal Considerations in Two Biobanks in Belgium," PubMed, last modified 2010,]
Tissue is also used to monitor patient reactions to see whether the cancer is advancing or responding and what side effects are being experienced. To this end, most practitioners use human tissue differently. For instance, they can compare tissue features to the information of patients and the nature of the patient reaction retrospectively. Such a comparison provides them with insight into how effective a certain treatment was. They can also create a hypothesis of how treatment would function in the future and then test it with tissue to gauge their accuracy. The amount of knowledge about how cancer cells behave has increased in the last ten years because using saved tissue to explore scientific discoveries has been a meteoric rise in interventions and treatments for many illnesses. Understanding the causes of cancer, identifying drug targets, discovering biochemical markers that can detect cancer symptoms, and developing therapies that target a genetic variant or signalling pathway all require tissue research.[Alexandre Reuben et al., "Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research," PubMed Central (PMC), last modified 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4692755/.] [Alexandre Reuben et al., "Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research," PubMed Central (PMC), last modified 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4692755/.] [Ibid] [Ibid]
Laws Governing Tissue Research and Restrictions
Governments highly regulate the majority of encounters between researchers and human study subjects, but it should be noted that most of these laws do not address the question of possession. The World Medical Association enacted the Helsinki Declaration to serves as a collection of ethical guidelines for human experiments and has become the source of the rules regulating the use of human test subjects. The Helsinki Declaration was the medical community's first major attempt to control such experiments. For the most part, the Helsinki Declaration has greatly impacted the global regulatory framework for human tissue research.[HHS, "Federal ...