Humane research – the campaign continues

The main hurdle is that there is a severe shortage of establishments able to collect and store human tissue for use in test tube studies. The only hospital in the UK with a properly developed service is Peterborough District Hospital. It collects tissue from surgical procedures and body donation, and this is then distributed amongst various medical research establishments and drug companies.

It is scandalous that so little emphasis is given to the collection of human tissue nationally, when to do so would spare hundreds of thousands of animals who are killed every year simply so that their body parts can be used in test tube studies.

Animal suffering aside, human tissue is self-evidently superior to animal material for research related to human medicine.

Sadly, while this state of affairs persists, carrying Animal Aid’s Humane Research Donor Card does not mean that your body will automatically be donated to saving animals upon your death – only that you agree to the principle.

Some of you can, however, register with the Peterborough Tissue Bank and details of how to do so are included in Animal Aid’s new Humane Research pack. Although it currently collects only within a catchment area of 150 miles from the hospital, officials do also encourage people living outside this radius to sign up, since they hope it might encourage more hospitals to establish similar facilities.

Contact Peterborough District Hospital on 01733 875892 or download their consent form at www.tissuebank.co.uk.