Mastodawn

Henrietta Lacks: Cells Changed Medicine Without Consent

Henrietta Lacks, a Black mother of 5, unknowingly changed medicine forever. Her cells, taken without consent, became the first immortal human cells, fueling polio, cancer, and COVID vaccines. Her cells live on, generating billions, while her family faced healthcare struggles.

Watch Full Episode: https://youtu.be/i9ol_aDwafk

#HenriettaLacks #HeLaCells #MedicalHistory #sci

Calishat Mar 4

#legal #medicine #HenriettaLacks

'Novartis has settled a lawsuit by Lacks’ estate that alleged the pharmaceutical giant profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge.'

https://capitalbnews.org/henrietta-lacks-settlement-novartis/

Henrietta Lacks’ Family Reaches Settlement in Fight Over Her Stolen Cells

Details of the Novartis agreement aren’t public, but the family says it is pleased with the outcome.

Capital B News

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Mar 3

#HenriettaLacks’s Family Settles Suit With #Novartis Over Use of Her Cells
Lacks’s family accused Novartis of profiting from her cells, which were taken from her without her consent in 1951, when she was dying of #cervicalcancer.
Lacks’s cells were first to reproduce in lab, outside the human body, and have been used in groundbreaking research, including to develop vaccines for polio and Covid-19 and treatments for cancer, Parkinson’s and the flu.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/us/novartis-settlement-henrietta-lacks-stolen-cells.html
https://archive.ph/vVGEA

Henrietta Lacks’s Family Settles Suit With Novartis Over Use of Her Cells

Ms. Lacks’s family accused Novartis of profiting from her cells, which were taken from her without her consent in 1951, when she was dying of cervical cancer.

The New York Times

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Mar 2

From obscurity to legacy: #HenriettaLacks’s immortal #cells reshaped research ethics
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital harvested cells from Lacks, an African American patient with cervical cancer, without her knowledge. Those cells would become the cornerstone of modern medicine, leading to countless breakthroughs, including the creation of the polio and HPV vaccines as well as treatments for HIV/AIDS, leukemia, and influenza.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/27/metro/henrietta-lacks-research-immortal-cells-research/
https://archive.is/20260228152609/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/27/metro/henrietta-lacks-research-immortal-cells-research/

Mass. scientists reflect on Henrietta Lacks' immortal legacy

Seventy-five years later, Mass. researchers reflect on how HeLa cells have become the cornerstone of modern medicine.

The Boston Globe

Show thread

Ricardo Harvin Feb 23

@kottke Are those doctors being compensated as they choose (e.g. money, altruistic sharing of treatments, etc.) for the value of their blood, or does such compensation only accrue to the literal bloodsucking corporations?

#HenriettaLacks

Maude Nificent Dec 30

still re-watching #OrphanBlack

noticed, for the first time, mention of #CellRegenerationRates, and in the Orphan Black storyline, these are attributed to the cancer cells of one of the characters…
——
and suddenly thought to wonder WHY it was that, in the real world, the cancer cells of #HenriettaLacks (aka #HeLa cells) had had an unusual cell regeneration rate? Her cells, first collected when she had a biopsy in 1951, opened the door for many leaps forward in medicine and science.

for those who don’t know this story, be warned it involves ethical issues around privacy and consent, and the history of segregated medical practices in USA. Further, it was a story that did not end well for Henrietta Lacks herself.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/the-stolen-cells-of-henrietta-lacks-and-their-ongoing-contribution-to-science

The story of Henrietta Lacks and the uniqueness of HeLa cells

Doctors took cells from Henrietta Lacks without her consent 71 years ago. Known as HeLa cells, they have since revolutionized research — but at what cost, and who has really benefitted?