Stolen Heads Shine a Light on Body Part Donation

The company positions itself as the world’s leading body donation body, bringing together donors and pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations.
“Science Care connects donors who choose to donate their bodies to science with medical researchers and educators around the world, resulting in medical research and education that improves the quality of life for all of us,” says Trisha Hammett, CEO and Program Director at the company. “As the world’s first accredited non-graft tissue bank, we pride ourselves on compliance and safety in everything we do.”
The first type of program remains unregulated mainly and unrelated to transplantation. Understanding the difference between this type of donation program and the organ and tissue transplant industry is essential. One example is the taking of cadaveric tissue and its use for medical and surgical purposes. Think of ACL repair, in which a cadaverous tendon replaces a living, damaged ligament, giving the recipient a new chance at knee health. Or cadaveric harvesting veins for use in heart bypass surgery. Both are common and provide a better quality of life.
Other uses of cadaver tissue include medical research and teaching. Medical schools depend on these donations to educate their students. Research institutes are working with donated human tissue to improve the treatment of many diseases. These can include various types of cancer, heart disease, orthopedics, and even mental health.