Conditions of use

When an applicant signs the Human Developmental Biology Resource (HDBR) registration form, they agree to be bound by the following conditions:

That they will respect the value of the human material and will ensure that it is used responsibly and only for the project agreed by the Joint Steering Committee.
That the tissue requested will be released by the HDBR in a staged manner depending upon satisfactory and demonstrable progress being made by the applicant. The start or activation date of a project will be defined as the date when the first batch of tissue is sent out.
That they will submit a report on the use of the samples before the next batch of tissue will be despatched. If this is not received within six months, the project will be assumed to have terminated. Re-registration is required if further tissue is subsequently required. To facilitate reporting, an electronic copy of the registration form will be available on the web page or can be sent by email.
Registered projects that are not activated within one year will be assumed to have terminated. Re-registration is required if tissue material is subsequently required.
In any submission for publication arising from the applicant's work, they will acknowledge the origin of the material as the Wellcome Trust/MRC-funded Human Developmental Biology Resource, and a pre-print and a reprint will be supplied to the Resource for documentation.
After publication, data and images arising from the applicant's work may be made accessible to the research community via the internet.
No material supplied by the HDBR is to be sent overseas without the prior knowledge and permission of the Joint Steering Committee.
After the work is completed, images recorded and data analysed, the slides will be returned to the HDBR at either the Neural Development Unit, Institute of Child Health or to the Institute of Human Genetics, University of Newcastle. If required, the applicant is make images available to the HDBR in order that they can be incorporated into a database, which will be made generally available to the research community.
The Joint Steering Committee has the right to refuse an application and to terminate the supply of material from the HDBR without prior notice.
The decision made by the Joint Steering Committee is final and no reason may be given for rejecting an application.

Ethical permission

The HDBR has obtained ethical permission for the collection of the tissue for research from the ethical committee of University College London Hospitals and from the joint ethical committee of the University of Newcastle/ Newcastle and North Tyneside Health Authority. However, each applicant must obtain local ethical approval from their own research institute for the use of this tissue at their sites. The HDBR will not allow tissue to be distributed unless it has received documentary proof of local ethical approval from the applicant.

Applicants from outside the UK should be aware that it is their responsibility to make sure that they have satisfied their own institution's ethical committee and that the importation and use of human embryonic material for research complies with their own country's national ethical practices and guidelines. Registration requires written assurances from their head of department that this is the case. The HDBR cannot be held responsible for users' actions.