ORGANIZATION AND ACTIVITIES OF HUMAN TISSUE BANKS IN THE U. S. WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF MEDICINE

The International Institute for the Advancement of Medicine (IIAM) was established in 1986 as a non-profit research tissue bank. IIAM is a division of the Pennsylvania Regional Tissue and Transplant Bank (PRTB), whose purpose as a not-for-profit organization is to obtain, process and distribute human tissues for transplantation, medical/scientific research, education and the advancement of medicine. As the research division of PRTB, IIAM facilitates the distribution of non-transplantable human organs and tissues for biomedical research, education and development. I will describe the organization and operation of IIAM, including the requirements for tissue and the application process. Legal and ethical considerations, financial support, our resource network and our customer base will be covered. Potential commercial use of human tissue is an area of concern, legally and ethically, and will be discussed as well. IIAM is a truly international organization, with a branch in Leicester, England that has been in operation for over two years. I will describe some of the obstacles that were encountered and lessons that were learned in setting up that research tissue bank for human tissue. Future developments include the development of a cell biology laboratory within IIAM, in which primary human cells from various organs and tissues will be isolated, characterized and distributed for research.