The remains of the body: human tissue, competence and consent in an age of profit.

Over the past few decades human tissues and fluids have increasingly become of interest to health-oriented research due to their potential use in the development of new diagnostic tools, drugs and treatment modalities. They have also become valuable commodities that figure prominently in the recovery of hormones for cosmetic purposes, the production of proteins and in a whole range of uses in the biopharmacological industry. Unfortunately, current understanding of the ethical and legal status of human tissue and fluids, and of the conditions under which they may be recovered and used, is somewhat uneven. The aim of this presentation is to outline the ethical and legal considerations that must be met if a recovery and use protocol is to meet appropriate standards.