The global eyecare and eye bank community has unveiled the world’s first global agreement on the use of donated human tissue for ocular transplantation, research, and future technologies.
Named the ‘Barcelona Principles’, as it was unveiled at an event in Barcelona, hosted by the Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations (GAEBA), the Centro de Barraquer Ophthalmology Centre and Barcelona Tissue Bank, the agreement provides new ethical guidelines for the use of donated eye tissue.
“The Barcelona Principles has evolved due to the global community seeking guidance on current ethical dilemmas – where they seek to improve tissue access to millions of waiting recipients – without compromise of their personal moral integrity and professional custodian responsibilities to the donor, recipient and the extended community,” said Dr Graeme Pollock, GAEBA representative and director of the Lions Eye Donation Service in Melbourne, in an announcement.
The Barcelona Principles present nine key strategies for managing eye tissue donations and their use in medicine and research, their retention as a public resource and their accessibility for recipients. “Collectively, the Barcelona Principles support nations and regions to tackle allocation and equitable access issues in their own jurisdiction, aiding policy and practice development and recommendations for cross-border engagement,” said Dr Pollock. “The Barcelona Principles also address areas of ethical ambiguity – namely profitisation and supply chains to for-profits, and their use in research and product development.
“The global community is concerned about the emergence and development of a “market mentality” around donations and the Barcelona Principles includes a clear statement that it is our collective responsibility to protect and retain stewardship of altruistic donations as a public resource for the shared benefit of all.”
