Compensation for Unauthorized Collection of 'Immortal Cells'... "A Satisfactory Amount"

Henrietta Lacks, African American Woman Who Died in 1951
Unauthorized Tissue Harvesting During Surgery... Medical Industry Still Profiting Today

A Black American woman whose 'immortal cells'?which contributed to numerous medical achievements?were taken without permission is set to receive financial compensation after 70 years.

Henrietta Lacks [Photo by Johns Hopkins Medicine website]

On the 1st of this month (local time), British media outlets including The Guardian reported that the family of Henrietta Lacks and the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific have reached a financial compensation agreement.

Henrietta Lacks was an African American who died of cancer in Baltimore in 1951. The HeLa cells extracted from her, unlike normal cells, survive and reproduce indefinitely and have been used in various research fields such as the development of the polio vaccine, treatments for Parkinson's disease, and AIDS therapies.

However, these cells were not extracted with her consent. Lacks, who had cervical cancer, had her cells taken without permission by doctors while undergoing surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Subsequently, numerous pharmaceutical companies and research institutes that received cultured cells from Thermo Fisher Scientific profited greatly using HeLa cells.

However, Lacks' family was unaware that her cells were being used and filed a lawsuit against Thermo Fisher in Baltimore Federal Court in 2021, stating they "did not receive a single penny" from the profits made from HeLa cells.

Thermo Fisher argued that the statute of limitations should dismiss the case, but the family countered that profits from cell replication continue to occur, thus extending the statute of limitations. It is known that HeLa cells are still sold for at least $380 (approximately 490,000 KRW) today.

Ultimately, Thermo Fisher agreed to provide financial compensation to Lacks' family after negotiations. Although the specific amount has not been disclosed, it is reported that both parties are satisfied with the agreement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.