title: The importance of establishing an international network of tissue banks and regional tissue processing centers.
abstract: During the past four decades, many tissue banks have been established across the world with the aim of supplying sterilized tissues for clinical use and research purposes. Between 1972 and 2005, the International Atomic Energy Agency supported the establishment of more than sixty of these tissue banks in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Africa and Eastern Europe; promoted the use of the ionizing radiation technique for the sterilization of the processed tissues; and encouraged cooperation between the established tissue banks during the implementation of its program on radiation and tissue banking at national, regional and international levels. Taking into account that several of the established tissue banks have gained a rich experience in the procurement, processing, sterilization, storage, and medical use of sterilized tissues, it is time now to strengthen further international and regional cooperation among interested tissue banks located in different countries. The purpose of this cooperation is to share the experience gained by these banks in the procurement, processing, sterilization, storage, and used of different types of tissues in certain medical treatments and research activities. This could be done through the establishment of a network of tissue banks and a limited number of regional tissue processing centers in different regions of the world.
authors.affiliation: , Charasgasse 3/13, 1030, Vienna, Austria, jmorales47@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales Pedraza
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007391:International Cooperation; D014015:Tissue Banks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016378:Tissue Transplantation