Henrietta Lacks -- Still Immortal -- Family Settles Suit Against Thermo Fisher Scientific

Anyone who has read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is familiar with the story. Cancer cells from Henrietta Lacks's cervix were grown in a lab in the 50s after it was shown that, unlike most cells, they could reproduce in vitro. This made them incredibly valuable for biologic research:

Research using the HeLa cells has led to the development of vaccines treatments for diseases including cancer, Parkinson’s and the flu. The cells have also been used by researchers around the world and have been cited in more than 110,000 scientific publications, according to the National Institutes of Health. (NY Times, Aug. 1, 2023)

But Ms. Lacks -- who was black and being treated in a segregated ward at Johns Hopkins -- wasn't informed that her cells were harvested for research and didn't consent to their use. And for more than 70 years biotech firms have reaped millions in profits from the use of her cells.  

The NY Times reports (above) that the family has settled its suit against one of the biotech firms for an undisclosed amount. In a news conference yesterday, a spokesman for the family said the fight for justice will go on.

Her story is a perfect storm of racialized medicine, immature research ethics, and money. I'd like to think it couldn't happen in this day and age, but with U.S. and European firms exporting ethically sketchy research to Third-World countries, that is more of a hope than a prediction.