Henrietta Lacks' Family Reaches Settlement with ThermoFisher

[Vespasia]

The family has settled with Thermo Fisher for an undisclosed sum. The company had previously tried to block the case based on the statute of limitations. The family's lawyer has indicated that additional suits may follow as Thermo Fisher is just one of several companies profiting of of the cells that were taken without her consent in the 1950s. The case was settled yesterday and announced today, on what would have been her 103 birthday. 


www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/henrietta-lacks-family-settlement-lawsuit-hela-cells-thermo-fisher-scientific/

[DotAndBuzz]

Good. Give her family all the money.

What's insane is that when I was in the medical research field for school and after I graduated, I used HeLa cells all the time. They are SO universal in this field. You mention and use them without even giving it a second thought. And yet I had no idea what HeLa stood for. None. I just thought it was an abbreviation for some longer scientific term. In the 7 years I was in that field through education and work in the late 90's and early 00's, I NEVER had a clue it stood for a woman's name. "HeLa" was used like any other cell line or mouse line abbreviation, just a string of letters, likely followed by a couple numbers.

The whole industry literally took a piece of her, used a piece of her BODY, and just erased the woman. They erased a Black woman, and made billions from it. Yes, her cells were a key part of some incredible scientific discoveries, but it was all done without HER attached to it in any way. Without her permission, or even bare minimal recognition until just very recently. It's horrifying.

[Susie]

DotAndBuzz, yes, exactly, like they were... CHO cells. Except, you know, they're from an ACTUAL HUMAN BEING.

[hermione]

I hope they got millions and millions of dollars.

[tiki]

Aug 1, 2023 11:33:05 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

Good. Give her family all the money.

What's insane is that when I was in the medical research field for school and after I graduated, I used HeLa cells all the time. They are SO universal in this field. You mention and use them without even giving it a second thought. And yet I had no idea what HeLa stood for. None. 

I feel the same way. Everyone (including me) talked about HeLa cells the same way we talked about S2 cells (from flies) or CHO cells (from hamsters). 

My first lab job was starting primary cultures from patients' tumors so I knew there were human cell lines, but we went to great lengths to protect the identities of *those* patients, and they were all properly consented for research. I still can't believe work with Henrietta Lacks' cell line wasn't halted given that none of that was done for her.