7 November 2007
Bereaved families will donate tissue for medical research
96% of bereaved families would donate a deceased relative’s tissue for medical research and 20% are prepared to donate whole organs. These are the surprising conclusions of a two-year research programme conducted by the Sudden Death Brain and Tissue Bank, within the Edinburgh Neuropathology Post Mortem Service.
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council and led by Professor Jeanne Bell of the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian. Professor Bell and colleagues looked at various issues including seeking permission from bereaved families to retain brain tissue, and the quality and variety of the tissue available.
The project also involved the collection of tissue from people who died suddenly from depression, schizophrenia or a drug or alcohol addiction. A critical shortage of human brain tissue is a severely limiting factor in the study of these important disorders. Wider availability and further use of donated human tissue could provide an alternative to animal models, which are currently used to study all these conditions.
A follow-up survey was sent to the families involved six months after the death and donation of tissue. This found that the request for donation did not cause undue distress and that respondents felt research donation should be open to all bereaved families.