The Estate of Henrietta Lacks Sues Biotech Company For Selling ‘Stolen’ Cells

The Estate of Henrietta Lacks Sues Biotech Company For Selling ‘Stolen’ Cells

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A lawsuit filed by the estate of Henrietta Lacks alleges that the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific made a conscious choice to sell and mass produce the living tissue of Henrietta Lacks, despite knowing that Lacks’s tissue had been taken without her consent by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital.The cells, nicknamed “HeLa” cells, are one of the most utilized tools in research, and vital in developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more.The lawsuit is seeking the full amount of the net profits that Thermo Fisher has earned from selling the HeLa cells and is asking that the company to stop using the cells without the estate’s permission, according to a report published October 4 in The Baltimore Sun.Hela cells and cells with modifications can sell…
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