Carabillo said he believes the tissue bank association critics are simply jealous of the technology. Quite candidly, I think this is all about the fact they're left behind,'' said Carabillo, a pharmacist and lawyer. The FDA has had trouble keeping pace with the explosive growth and doesn't even know how many tissue banks exist. The national tissue bank association has wanted to police itself, but has no sway over non members. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala ordered a sweeping probe of the industry in June in the wake of the Register investigation.
Initial findings are due next month.
Fast growing firm Regeneration Technologies is one of the reasons for the growth. The company has applied for an international patent for its new process in hopes of taking its pooling technology overseas. It has been a whirlwind first two years for Regeneration Technologies. The company has bought or taken control of nonprofit tissue banks in Georgia, Alabama and Wisconsin. It has a growing list of tissue bank suppliers, including Baltimore-based Tissue Banks International which runs the Orange County Eye and Tissue Bank in Santa Ana.