relevant material
relevant material
A term of art used in the context of the UK’s Human Tissue Act 2004, referring to material of human origin (body parts, organs and tissue, skin, bone and blood) for which permission from the living or deceased (or their next of kin) is required before it can be used or retained.Simplistically, relevant material contains cells, including bodily waste products (excretions and secretions), and can include processed material—e.g., plastinated tissues and body parts, stem cells created inside the human body, embryonic stem cells.
Excludes
Acellular specimens (serum, plasma), cell lines, cultured cells which have divided outside the human body, artificially created embryonic stem cells (live gametes and embryos which have divided outside of the body), extracted DNA, plasma extracted DNA, hair and nails from living people.
Consent exemptions for relevant material
Existing holdings before August, 2006; extreme public health emergency with authority for Secretary of State; tissue that has been imported or is from a body that has been imported; 100 years rule, Schedule 1, Part 2 activities (residual tissue for research); ethics approval; anonymised (but can maintain links to clinical data) residual tissue for obtaining medical information relevant to another person with approval of HTA; adults who lack the capacity to consent.