Addressing problems in transplantation research in the United kingdom

Abstract

Transplantation research is complex because of consent being required from several individuals, the multiplicity of sites at which donation may occur, its unpredictability, and the time constraints. It is also constrained by a tight regulatory framework, which seems to be stifling research in the United Kingdom. In this article, we recommend that (1) donor consent forms be expanded to include consent to research on organs and associated retrieved material, contemporaneously and in the future, (2) if a research intervention occurs before a recipient is identified, the organ may subsequently be offered on a "take it or leave it" basis, (3) if a research intervention occurs after a recipient is identified, that recipient has the "right of veto" on the research, (4) patients should be able to participate in more than one trial at a time, if clinically appropriate, (5) a Research Ethics Committee with specific transplantation expertise should be established, (6) the unduly onerous legal obstacles erected by the Human Tissue Act (2004) should be removed, and (7) the Organ Donor Register should be expanded to include potential donor wishes on research.