Informed consent when donating cells for the production of human tissue engineered products

© Oxford University Press, 2011. All rights reserved. Donated cells are essential for the creation of human tissue engineered products. Informed consent by the donor is required under EU regulation. Because cell donation will be more likely if the cells's use is consistent with the donors' world views, the various values that donors attach to cells must be taken into account when designing the informed consent procedure. This chapter identifies four, sometimes contradictory, connotations of value: biological, financial, relational, and informational value. Respecting these different values may lead to different ethical precepts regarding cell donation. The chapter investigates how these values may influence cell donation for various tissue engineering purposes. It also indicates that consenting to cell donation assumes some characteristics of a contract. Giving preference to one type of cell value over other types of value may furthermore influence which relationships between the various stakeholders in tissue engineering are privileged, and consequently how the future development and regulatory framework of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine may have to evolve, and what the contents of the informed consent should be.

ISBN:978-0-19-958755-1

Jaar van publicatie:2011