| [ Summary ] |
Human tissue transplantation is an important therapeutic strategy of modern medicine. In Japan, various types of tissue transplantation including skin, cardiac valves, blood vessels, bones and tympanic bones have been conducted institutionally without public realization of their importance. It seems to be very diffcult to consider donated tissue as a mate rial or device for medical use in Japan. Human tissue should rather be considered as a gift of life, like donated human organs which are regulated by brain-death legislation.
At the National Cardiovascular Center, we have set up a modern laboratory for homograft preservation and established a tissue bank system in September 1999. Fortunately, following the issue of the new legislation for organ transplantation in October 1997, the number of tissue donations has been increasing. Tissue transplantation will progress along with greater popularization of organ transplantation in Japan. The establishment of tissue banks is urgently needed in our country. |