Developing and setting up a tissue donation after death service in the UK: A research nurse’s personal perspective

Joint Conference:3^rd International Conference & Exhibition on TISSUE PRESERVATION AND BIOBANKING & 6^th International Conference onTISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

August 23-24, 2017 San Francisco, USA

Joanne Mullarkey

University of Bradford, UK

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Tissue Sci Eng

Abstract :

Ethical tissue has been designed to give researchers access to quality tissue samples, optimized usage of donations and provision of linked clinical data. There are almost 300 licensed tissue banks in the UK; however, Ethical tissue is unique in the way it can supply tissues to industry and academia. Ethical tissue is distinctive in collecting any type of tissue on a bespoke basis, providing it directly to pre-approved researchers all over the world. A key issue for many researchers has been their need for bespoke collections of tissue that are impossible to obtain via surgical intervention. From this, we identified the need for a Tissue Donation after Death (TDAD) program. Donors who cannot donate an organ/tissue for therapeutic can use TDAD to support biomedical research. Feedback from donor families indicates how much satisfaction donors derive from being able to contribute in this way. From its inception in 2014, we have developed the TDAD service from an initial single donation to the point where we expect to have at least 30 donors this year. TDAD now forms a key part of our tissue provision, particularly for difficult to obtain tissues. In building up the TDAD service, a lot of time and energy has gone into educating local healthcare professionals and the general public on tissue donation and end of life choices which are available to them. It does however require changes in thinking and working practices, not always easy particularly within large organizations. What has been achieved through TDAD and our other services has culminated in ethical tissue being recognized as the UKCRC Biobank of the Year (2016/17).

Biography :

Joanne Mullarkey has been an Adult Nurse for 11 years, working initially on ICU and HDU wards in a large teaching hospital in Leeds UK. She has also worked in a private hospital for 5 years and started working for a Human Tissue Bank based on the University of Bradford city campus. She has developed the TDAD initiate over the past 3 years and looking to expand the service even further in the next 2-5 years. She is GCP trained and an experienced Communicator.