Statement on U.S. Supreme Court’s Denial of Certiorari in case involving ownership of tissues donated for research

The School of Medicine is pleased by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision released today. The Court let stand a unanimous 2007 ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that stated prostate tissue and serum samples donated to Washington University can continue to be used by the institution for cancer research. The appellate court had affirmed the lower federal district court ruling that donors who gave tissue or serum samples to the University for research can’t later compel the school to transfer ownership of the samples to another research institution.

Pat on the back

Photo by Robert BostonEighteen School of Medicine faculty were recognized Jan. 23 for their accomplishments in clinical care, community service, education and research.

Assembly Series wrestles with bioethical questions

Looking back over the recent past, the advances in biomedicine seem astonishing. The birth of the first “test tube baby” 30 years ago, for example, was viewed as exotic and, to some, scary. Now, in vitro fertilization is commonplace. And yet, justifiable ethical concerns surround the human outcomes of these medical breakthroughs. Leon Kass, M.D., […]
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