Case Law, Regulations Don’t Support Individual’s Biospecimen Ownership
Kate Gallin Heffernan, a Partner in Verrill Dana's Health Care Group and Chair of the firm's Academic and Clinical Research Group, was quoted extensively in a July 7 Bloomberg BNA article entitled "Case Law, Regulations Don't Support Individual's Biospeciman Ownership." The article discusses whether or not an individual has any property rights to biological materials taken from their body. Kate points out that "...there is not much support in existing case law for individuals retaining rights in materials that are voluntarily donated for research or otherwise abandoned in the course of medical practice per normal hospital policies and practices."