Research must put science above agenda

(Republished with permission from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This letter to the editor was originally published on Friday, April 21, 2006.)

As dean of the Washington University School of Medicine and a longtime genetics researcher, I believe the recent court ruling in Washington University's favor over the control of donated tissue samples is important to science and protects research participants' rights.

The interests of donors and the greater public good are best served by adhering to federal laws that protect research participants. U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh ruled that actions like those of the Dr. William J. Catalona can allow a researcher's personal agenda to supersede donors' interests. Judge Limbaugh described the possible consequences if donors reclaimed or redirected tissue. No such right has ever existed for donors. If it did, a kidney donor could later decide to give the donated kidney to someone else, or blood donations could be directed to certain ethnic groups.

We are dedicated to making significant progress against diseases, including cancer, and tissue repositories are a vital foundation for our efforts. Repositories will be even more important as knowledge from the Human Genome Project is brought to bear on human disease. If institutions are to create these invaluable resources, they must be assured that repositories can be sustained.

Washington University has a tradition of sharing resources in the interest of science. For example, we posted Human Genome Project data nightly for all scientists to use. We continue to make this repository available to others, including Dr. Catalona, for research consistent with its intended purpose.

Larry J. Shapiro | St. Louis

Executive Vice Chancellor and Medical School Dean, Washington University

Copyright 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.