Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Samples and Tissues From Patients
Earlier Dr. Bournias asked: What happens to the blood you leave at the doctor's office? The little plastic cups full of urine? That mole you had removed that one time? and it made me think about the time I had a partial lumpectomy to remove a benign growth of cells. I do not really know what the doctors did with the mass of cells, they could have disposed of them or they could have kept them for scientific study. If the doctors did keep them I would not have minded although if they were generating some kind of money out of them I would want a part of that. I think patients should know what happens to their samples or any removed tissue. Patients should be given a choice about the possibilities that could happen to something that was a part of them.
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I think that you should be given an option: waste (possible research) or would you like to take your tissue home. Although I am not all the way into the book, I believe that it is the protocols that a doctor creates that make a specimen profitable not where they originated. It would complicate the medical field too much to give every person whose tissue was used in an important scientific advance credit/compensation.
ReplyDeleteI'm not bothered if my samples were used for research. I do believe that before a sample is given the patient should sign an acknowledgment of what their sample could be used for. And if their sample should lead to some breakthrough then they should receive recognition. Most of the time people just want to be acknowledged.
ReplyDeletePeople cannot receive compensation for their samples or try to sell it as well. Medical advancement would be slowed if patients had too much control.
Scientists and doctors need to have compassion and show some humanity towards their patients. It could eliminate a lot of the mess.
Even if we didn't give the doctors consent to use our cells (as did Henrietta and her husband), want kind of guarantee do we have that they won't be used? What is stopping doctor's from using them anyways? Either way, I think people should be compensated or acknowledged for donating their tissue (assuming the study had a significant impact on society).
ReplyDeleteI agree that a patient should be able to opt out of research for any reason (ethical or religious). On the other hand, if a patient agrees for their cells to be used, there should be some time of freedom in how a researcher uses the cells. If every single patient had full control in what type of research their cells may participate in, it would be time consuming, and very hard to keep track of all the exceptions a patient might set up. This can then impede medical breakthroughs that may forthcome, it is hard to know in what types of research a cell line may be beneficial for. Furthermore, even though I say a researcher should have some freedom over donated cells, they would still have to follow any ethical regulations in place (Nuremberg Code etc.) and any laws (Protection of patients genetic information).
ReplyDeleteAll of this is interesting, considering we just used the adipose tissue and blood from someone else to start a possible cell line. Although our experiments will have not impact on science whatsoever, it is still weird to think that a person unknowingly donated their fat to a bunch of students to "play around with". Where else could pieces of our bodies be going? Once its in the doctors hands...it could be anywhere. But, unless specified under direct order, it is really up to the physician what is to be done with the sample. Once the sample has been used for research, the knowledge and advancements that surface should be the intellectual property of the physician or scientist. An acknowledgement of donation would be fine, but no monetary compensation should be awarded to the patient for the donation of the sample. But, then again, the HeLa book may change my mind.
ReplyDeleteThanks to those who responded. You made good points some that I did not think of such as it would be too time consuming to figure out how to compensate patients for their samples. It would be best to not involve patients in the true nature behind the study because of complications. Researchers do need control over there work as long as it follows certain codes of ethics. If researchers were tightly regulated on obtaining samples then scientific advancement would be impeded.
ReplyDeleteI too wouldn't mind if my cells contributed in some way to the advancement of science. From a charity and benefactor standpoint, I wouldn't hesitate to help science, but once it becomes involve in corporate business and profit, I'd say that would change things a bit. It would no longer be about donation because a company would be using my goods to make business profits and feeding off the labs that want to actually advance science. If the company were to give out my cells as donations, that again would change things, so it all depends.
ReplyDeleteI myself would be proud if my cells were to one day lead to a medical breakthrough with one condition, and that is if I knew from the very beginning that my cells were being used for research. I would expect them to keep my genetic information private, and to only conduct research that would benefit society. If in fact my cells were to lead to a breakthrough in medicine, I would like it to be available and benefit those who need it the most, and not just to the rich and powerful. I would not like corporate institutions to further thicken their wallets on regards to my cells. If i had a choice, I would make it so that my cells would never be able to make any "one" person rich, but to benefit science as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that it's not the cells that caused the breakthroughs but the protocols. And I also agree that consent is a must when dealing with the use of body parts. It makes sense to me that the progress in the science of cell culture would of been slowed down if Lacks' cells were not stolen, but ofcourse it's wrong. According to the book it has helped in the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, cloning, gene mapping, in-vitro etc. (Also in mosquito mating?). Not accounting for race or status issues of the time, what I see is one individual, or rather one individuals cells helping a whole lot of people.
ReplyDelete