MedCure, a non-transplant tissue bank that connects whole-body donors to medical research and education, will open a tissue bank in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in September. This tissue bank will be the first of its kind in the region and will provide human cadaveric tissue specimens to universities, researchers and educators in Europe.
MedCure Opens European Tissue Bank
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April Salisbury, CEO of MedCure, says
This is an exciting opportunity for the firm’s European partnerships. Access to quality cadaveric anatomical specimens is fundamental to medical health technology advancement. Our European location will provide greater access to our services and enhance research within the medical community.
Company officials note that traditionally it has been difficult for researchers and physicians in Europe to acquire un-embalmed cadavers for their research, education or surgical training. Salisbury notes that,
Un-embalmed cadavers provide an exact representation of human anatomy, including the variation from individual to individual, unlike any available anatomical models.
Orhan Arslan, M.D., course director of anatomy at the University of Southern Florida Health, agrees that there is no substitute for a human cadaver for teaching. “The virtual approach cannot substitute for the real thing, ” he says.” It cannot be taught by looking at slides or listening to a lecture.”
MedCure was founded in 2005. The corporate office is located in Portland, Oregon with additional sites in Florida, Rhode Island and Nevada. Surgical Training Centers for physicians to learn advanced surgical procedures are located in Henderson, Nevada; Cumberland, Rhode Island; and Portland, Oregon.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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