Man with the golden cells (The)

details

Production
2007, France, Canada
Original language
French
Running time
00:52:00
Genre
documentary
Topic
biology, ethics
Directed by
Florence Martin Kessler
Written by
Florence Martin Kessler
Produced by
13 production, ONF, Mosaïque Films
Member page
13 Productions

Since the discovery of their immense therapeutic promise, the cells have become an essential resource for medical research. They have acquired an economic value, and are subject to investment and comercial trade. A market that shakes our ethical positions.

This film is part of the exemplary case. In Los Angeles, 1984, John Moore had sued the doctor who unwittingly cultivated his cells before selling them to the pharmaceutical industry. In 1990, the California Supreme Court decided that his claim to a right of ownership over his own body was not founded. Where, then, the thing stops and the person starts?