Some proposals involve the use of human tissues.
The IRB Biomedical Committee requires that blood samples be obtained by trained phlebotomists. Tissue samples are obtained by certified medical personnel. It is assumed that these personnel will take the proper precautions to protect both themselves and the subject from blood-transmissible disease. However, with the ever increasing frequency of AIDS and hepatitis infections, especially among student populations, it has become a concern of this office as to whether University laboratory personnel who are assigned to perform analyses on human tissue or human body fluid samples are aware of the proper precautions for protection against transmissible disease. This matter is not a concern from the point of view of the human subjects IRB, but rather is a biosafety issue at this University.