A former Las Vegas chiropractor operated a controversial human cadaver business from a strip mall, raising serious ethical concerns about the unregulated body broker industry.

Obteen Nassiri, who lost his chiropractic license in 2014 for insurance fraud, established Med Ed Labs in 2015. The company purchased and leased human remains from funeral homes and medical schools for medical training and research purposes.

The business came under scrutiny in October 2021 when the body of David Saunders, a 98-year-old Army veteran who died from COVID-19, was used in a public dissection at an oddities expo. Saunders' widow stated she had only consented to scientific use of her husband's remains.

Further complications arose when the University of North Texas Health Science Center reported Med Ed Labs failed to return nine pairs of human feet from their leased remains.

While selling organs for transplants is illegal in the US, there are no federal laws regulating the sale of human remains for education or research. Most states, including Nevada, lack strict oversight of body brokers, though Nevada passed legislation in 2019 to regulate these businesses – regulations that are still being drafted.

Med Ed Labs filed for bankruptcy in March, just before a lawsuit from Allstate Insurance regarding misused corporate accounts was set to go to trial. A new body broker business, Surgical & Medical Training Services, has since been registered at Med Ed's former address under Nassiri's brother's name.

While Nassiri denies any wrongdoing and faces no criminal charges, this case highlights the pressing need for stronger regulation in the human remains industry.

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