Protecting human participants in the procurement of materials in regenerative medicine research

Abstract

Human participants provide a variety of materials that are essential for research in regenerative medicine, including adult stem cells, embryos, sperm, ova, blood, and urine. Because regenerative medicine depends so heavily on the cooperation of human participants, researchers must take appropriate measures to protect their rights and welfare and secure their trust. This chapter focuses on some emerging issues in the procurement of materials in regenerative medicine research that merit special attention, including informed consent and confidentiality. Though these issues also arise in other types of biomedical research, regenerative medicine investigators face some unique challenges, due to the nature of their subject matter. Since the ethical questions and problems related to procurement of human biological materials are likely to change in response to advances in science and technology, it is important for regenerative medicine researchers to stay abreast of current policies and ethical guidance and to think critically about the dilemmas they face.