The banking of human tissues for clinical transplantation has grown exponentially in the past 10-15 years. Tissue banks have been set up throughout the world, initially on an ad hoc basis. More recently these have grown and in many countries have linked up with larger international companies. While standards for the procurement, processing and storage of the tissues have kept pace with the growth of the subject, this is not so with the legal considerations associated with the practice. There is no unified legal system which is internationally operated. Europe, USA, Asia, Latin America, China have been developing legal systems on an individual basis.This book describes the present state of the development of laws to control and make the banking and use of tissues legal and safe. It describes, for the first time, the current systems which are used throughout the world and points the way to setting up a harmonized global legal system.

Despite the benefits of human tissue transplants, some are concerned about the potential transmission of infectious diseases from donor to recipient & about certain techniques that may affect the usefulness of tissues or leave them with harmful residues. This report evaluates the FDAs oversight of transplanted human tissue & evaluates potential safety problems. It identifies gaps in the current regulation, determining whether & how FDA plans to address them in. It provides findings & recommendations for musculoskeletal tissue, skin, corneas, reproductive tissue, & peripheral & umbilical cord blood stem cells.

This important book discusses the need for gamma irradiation in the processing of tissue allografts. With particular emphasis on tissue banking in the Asia-Pacific region, it covers a wide range of issues in tissue banking, including the basic science of radiation, quality control of the irradiation process, and clinical applications of irradiated bone grafts and amnions.A compulsory textbook for the well-regarded Singapore-based IAEA/NUS Diploma Course in Tissue Banking, it is also a useful guide for tissue bankers in establishing quality systems in their banks. Whether they be tissue banking students, tissue graft producers, radiation scientists, or transplantation surgeons, readers of this book will discover the latest developments in this exciting interdisciplinary field.

This book provides a coherent and up-to-date review of the scientific and technical principles in routine tissue banking practices, incorporating a plethora of new guidance and regulatory documents produced in response to recent regulation.