Donor Referral Services

Donor Referral Services was a non-transplant tissue bank that operated as a "body broker," procuring human remains for medical research and education. The company, which maintained facilities in Arizona and Illinois, specialized in the harvesting and distribution of cadaveric tissue to various medical institutions and research organizations. It became the subject of intense federal scrutiny due to unethical business practices, including the falsification of donor medical records and the sale of tissue from donors who had died of infectious diseases. These activities led to a significant scandal within the tissue banking industry, highlighting a lack of oversight in the non-transplant sector. The company was eventually shut down, and its founder, Philip Guyett, was convicted of fraud in 2009. Its legacy remains a cautionary tale in healthcare ethics and has prompted calls for stricter regulation of anatomical gift programs.