Last week, the federal government issued revised guidelines for the protection of human subjects in clinical trials, known as the Common Rule. A previously proposed revision to the Common Rule proposed that blood, tissue or other samples leftover from clinical care or research projects could not be used for other projects without the donor’s consent. The rule was partly inspired by the high-profile case of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were widely used for research without her or her family’s consent. The final Common Rule issued on Jan. 18, however, did not include the proposed biosample consent rule. University of Utah associate professor Erin Rothwell is available to discuss the consent process and the implications of both the proposed consent rule and the final rule issued by the federal government.

To reach Erin, contact Rebecca Walsh | 801-213-6924 | Rebecca.walsh@nurs.utah.edu