Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Cell and Tissue Banking

Human tissue and cell transplant medicine raises ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI), affecting all stakeholders in the transplant process. Informed consent, the central ethical issue, ensures voluntary altruistic donation but relies on adequate transparent communication of potential risks to the donor, including psychological effects, loss of property rights and commercialisation. Specific issues related to saviour siblings, cord blood banking and deceased donation are introduced. Recipients require just access and regulation of safe processing to secure healthy transplants and to guarantee confidentiality without compromising traceability. Society benefits from altruistic donation can be increased through education campaigns, cross-border exchange programmes and regulation of trafficking.