Abstract
What is the role of an ethics committee in reviewing a proposal for the first trial in the world of an advanced medical technology? From November 2002 to October 2003, the Ethics Committee of the Kyoto University Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine reviewed a protocol entitled, "Living related pancreas islet transplantation for insulin dependent Diabetic Mellitus patients." This report provides an overview of the review process and then discusses the role and social responsibility of ethics committees in Japan. A hypothesis is presented, which asserts that an appropriately functioning ethics committee is necessary to facilitate the implementation of a given advanced medical technology. The case of pancreas islet transplantation is shown to support this hypothesis.
