While it might be theoretically possible to keep track of donors and offer them some percentage of the financial proceeds that develop over time, the practical difficulties of such a scheme are formidable. More to the point, very few tissue donors will contribute cells that become financial blockbusters. Should we reward patients for “winning the lottery,” or instead for their willingness to be a donor in the first place? If the latter, then it would be fairer to pool the revenue from all such cell lines and divide it equally among donors. Under this scheme, however, the payment per donor would likely be quite modest. Such token payments might undermine the willingness to donate by cheapening altruistic motivations.
