The Necessity for and the Roles of a Public Tissue Bank
 
 Choi Ho, Shin Hae Suk, Lee Myeong Kyu
 Department of Production Management, Office of Research & Development, Korea Public Tissue Bank

This article examined the history of tissue banks and the background of the establishment of public tissue banks in developed countries in comparison to the Korea Public Tissue Bank (KPTB), which launched a state-led tissue bank in 2017. The purpose of this study was to understand the implications for the operation of public tissue banks (i.e., KPTB) by benchmarking the United Kingdom’s (UK) NHSBT Tissue and Eye Services.
Also, this study reviewed the process of launching public tissue banks and suggested important roles for the KPTB. This study suggested that the KPTB provide essential and bespoke allograft, develop rare human tissue grafts, increase domestic self-sufficiency by strengthening production capacity, develop high-quality allografts through R & D cooperation with public tissue banks in developed countries, and manage human tissue allografts as strategic materials in case of national disasters or emergencies.

Keywords: tissue bank, public tissue bank, human tissue allograft, bespoke allograft, Korea public tissue bank