Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: Regulating the Research Use of Human Biospecimens
2013 ◽
Vol 41
(2)
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pp. 424-439
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Keyword(s):
The Past
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Access to human biospecimens is widely regarded as essential to the progress of medical research, and in particular, to the success of “personalized medicine.” Understanding the influence of genetic variation on human health and disease requires that researchers conduct genetic and other studies on thousands of human specimens. Over the past decade, human “biobanks” — vast collections of human biospecimens — have proliferated both in the United States and internationally. These biobanks are subject to a heterogeneous mix of standards that govern the collection and use of biospecimens.