"Tissue rights"

Who has the rights to a cell line created from cancerous tissue? The NY Times reviews the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (Crown Publishers), by the journalist Rebecca Skloot.

A Lasting Gift to Medicine That Wasn’t Really a Gift

"The notion of “tissue rights” has inspired a new category of activists. The question that comes up repeatedly is, if scientists or companies can commercialize a patient’s cells or tissues, doesn’t that patient, as provider of the raw material, deserve a say about it and maybe a share of any profits that result? Fewer people these days may be willing to take no for an answer. "