However, further advances are under threat in the UK from inflexible laws, cumbersome licence requirements and fear of liability. Here we report a sequence of events that led to a UK clinical scientist withdrawing from participation in an international transplant research study in receipt of research ethics approval. We highlight the difficulties encountered and discuss possible solutions which, we believe, would promote legitimate research in the interest of the common good. We also contend that the current human tissue legislation should be replaced by a legal framework more responsive to the importance of scientific innovation for clinical service development in this field.