While science does advance steadily over time, occasionally a scientific breakthrough occurs that does not merely augment current scientific explanations and understandings, but instead radically redirects the focus of the scientific inquiry, fundamentally reconfigures our conception of our world and community, and threatens our existing social and moral conventions. We are currently experiencing such a scientific revolution, precipitated by advances in decoding our genetic makeup. While the revolution began at least by 1952 with the discovery by James Watson and Francis Crick of the structure of the DNA molecule–the molecule that contains our genetic information–the pace of the revolution has accelerated most rapidly in the last ten years. The engine for this change is the Human Genome Project.

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.