The use of human tissues in research: what do we owe the research subjects?

In the past decade, there have been a number of highprofile legal cases that have involved the removal of human blood samples from the hands of researchers. In one case, more than 5 10 dried blood spots from infants were destroyed after a suit was filed that challenged the state of Texas’ right to store infant blood spots for use in future research. In all these cases, there was argument over whether the participants in these research studies had been properly informed about how their samples were going to be used. With the recent publication of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, about a women who unknowingly provided the first immortal human cells grown in culture (HeLa cells), the topic of informed consent is now being discussed by book clubs in living rooms and coffee shops across the country.