Mariah Cain, Staff Writer
The family of Henrietta Lacks can now pursue compensation from the pharmaceutical company, Ultragenyx, for taking Lacks’ HeLa cells without her permission. Doctors at John Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s were treating Lacks for cervical cancer when they took tissue samples from her without her permission. HeLa cells have since been used for decades in modern medicine.
The Lacks family attorney, Chris Ayers said, “To be able to represent the family and be able to move forward and in litigation against companies that continue to profit off of Henrietta Lacks is incredibly important, and a milestone.” He continued, “This is really the first step of holding the scientific community accountable for its continued misuse of Mrs. Lacks’ cells and perpetuating business conduct that occurred over 70 years ago.”
