Neither Moore nor the Market: Alternative Models for Compensating Contributors of Human Tissue

Abstract

Parts and products of the human body are increasingly important to biomedical research. Tumors removed in surgery help researchers map the molecular progression of cancer. Blood samples matched to clinical profiles suggest the role of genes and other factors in disease. Both hospital patients and visitors to the World Wide Web may be approached to provide tissues for study.Sometimes this research results in commercial developments that produce substantial financial rewards for researchers, biotechnology companies and pharmaceutical or medical device makers. Frequently, the use of human tissue is crucial to the scientific discoveries on which those products rely. Yet, the individual sources of tissue seldom share in the ensuing profits.