Dealing the Dead: The Unregulated World of Using Unclaimed Bodies for Medical Research
A Chain of Fears and Debate
In August, a single email triggered a chain of hand-wringing and strategizing inside one of America’s largest medical technology companies: Boston Scientific. A reporter asked if the biotech giant knew that one of its subsidiaries had received bodies for medical training with no consent from the dead or their families. Company leaders fretted about how the revelation from NBC News would look to investors and debated how or even whether to answer, according to internal emails received through a public records request.
The Pressing Demand for Human Bodies
The story of how a major biotechnology company came to use the unclaimed dead offers a window into the pressing demand for human bodies – a crucial part of America’s $180 billion medical device industry, yet one that is poorly regulated and usually invisible to the public. Using unclaimed bodies for medical research is legal in much of the country, but is widely considered unethical because of the absence of consent; the unclaimed include people whose relatives could not be reached as well as those who could not afford to make funeral arrangements.
The Importance of Bodies in Medicine
Bodies are used in countless ways in the medical world – by doctors to hone surgical skills, by paramedics to practice lifesaving techniques, and by acupuncturists learning how organs interact. And before a new medical device is deployed in human clinical trials, biotech companies often use bodies as a test. Since 2019, at least 332 medical devices that received clearance by the Food and Drug Administration cited cadaveric studies to show they were safe, according to records compiled for NBC News by Bright Data, a web data collection company.
Widespread Mistreatment of the Dead and Their Families
Despite the importance of bodies in medicine, there is no data on how many are used each year, let alone how many of them are unclaimed. In investigations over the past two years, NBC News has found widespread mistreatment of the dead and their families. Local authorities have repeatedly failed to find relatives after people have died, even though the family members were reachable, leaving the bodies to go unclaimed. And some of those unclaimed bodies have been sent off for research even as people’s loved ones reported them missing or waited anxiously to hear from them.
"This is Legalized Grave Robbing. No Shovel Needed."
"This is legalized grave robbing. No shovel needed," said Janet Cope, an anatomy specialist at Elon University in North Carolina, referring to the use of unclaimed bodies. "That is what they’re doing."
Boston Scientific’s Involvement
After Relievant Medsystems developed the Intracept system, a widely used surgical technique for alleviating lower back pain, Boston Scientific spent over $800 million to acquire the company last year. Boston Scientific said the Intracept procedure was expected to generate over $100 million in sales in 2024. Relievant also was one of the biggest customers of the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s now-shuttered BioSkills laboratory in Fort Worth. The company paid more than $352,000 for access to bodies and lab space to train doctors on its invention from 2019 through 2023, shortly before it was acquired by Boston Scientific.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Use of Unclaimed Bodies
What Relievant did not know at the time, according to emails obtained by NBC News through a records request to the university, was that at least 25 of the bodies the company used for these trainings were unclaimed. The Health Science Center received the bodies from two local counties.
Boston Scientific’s Response
As NBC News began to ask questions, Sachariason suggested Boston Scientific publicly say that it was reviewing its work with the Health Science Center, and Kevin Barry, a company legal director, advised leaders to avoid the appearance of "turning a blind eye to UNT’s practices," according to a lengthy email chain that was forwarded to the center. The company should take "a definitive ethical stance," he wrote, noting that investors could be troubled by the news. Sachariason ultimately told NBC News that Boston Scientific and Relievant no longer worked with the Health Science Center.
The Center’s Closure
The center permanently closed its BioSkills laboratory and ended its use of unclaimed bodies in September, after documents uncovered through reporters’ information requests revealed "deficiencies in leadership, standards of respect and care, and professionalism," the center’s president said.
NBC News’ Investigation
This week, NBC News reported that one of the bodies Relievant used belonged to Aurimar Villegas, a 21-year-old Venezuelan migrant who was killed in a road rage shooting and whose family was desperately, and unsuccessfully, trying to bring her body home.
Boston Scientific’s Policy Update
In response to follow-up questions, Sachariason sent a statement saying that the center’s use of unclaimed bodies without consent "was not in line with our understanding of the center’s willed body program." Boston Scientific updated its policies to require consent from the donor or their next of kin, she said.
Industry Practices
NBC News surveyed the 15 largest medical device makers and found that just two others – Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic – said they have policies against using unclaimed bodies for research or training. Fresenius Medical Care said it did not use bodies. The rest said they did not have a policy, did not respond, or did not give a clear answer to NBC News’ questions.
Alternatives to Human Specimens
Some companies and medical schools have switched from using bodies to alternatives like augmented and virtual reality, highly detailed interactive digital tables, and lifelike synthetic models. These options have a number of advantages: They are reusable; they lack chemical preservatives that can be dangerous for students; and they come free of ethical issues. SynDaver is a company that sells human replicas made of silicone or synthetic tissue for up to $200,000 each. Calisse Revilla, the company’s sales director, said one goal is to reduce the demand for corpses and disrupt "bad actors" who do not treat human remains with respect. "That is something that we are trying to combat," she said.
Conclusion
Despite the importance of bodies in medicine, the use of unclaimed bodies for research is a controversial issue. While it is legal in many parts of the country, it is widely considered unethical due to the absence of consent. The mistreatment of the dead and their families, including the use of unclaimed bodies, is a pressing issue that requires attention and action.
FAQs
Q: What is the current state of the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research?
A: The use of unclaimed bodies for medical research is legal in many parts of the country, but is widely considered unethical due to the absence of consent.
Q: How many medical devices are cleared each year using cadaveric studies?
A: At least 332 medical devices have been cleared since 2019 using cadaveric studies, according to records compiled for NBC News by Bright Data.
Q: What are some alternatives to human specimens in medical training?
A: Some companies and medical schools are using alternatives like augmented and virtual reality, highly detailed interactive digital tables, and lifelike synthetic models.
Q: What is the response of the medical device industry to the use of unclaimed bodies?
A: Some companies, like Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic, have policies against using unclaimed bodies for research or training. Others, like Fresenius Medical Care, do not use bodies. The rest have not responded or have not given a clear answer to NBC News’ questions.
