#Henrietta Lacks

[follow-up-news]

More than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge, a lawyer for her descendants said they have reached a settlement with a biotechnology company they sued in 2021, accusing its leaders of reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system. Tissue taken from the Black woman’s tumor before she died of cervical cancer became the first human cells to be successfully cloned. Reproduced infinitely ever since, HeLa cells have become a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations, including the development of the polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even Covid-19 vaccines. Despite that incalculable impact, the Lacks family had never been compensated. Doctors harvested Lacks’ cells in 1951, long before the advent of consent procedures used in medicine and scientific research today, but lawyers for her family argued that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., of Waltham, Massachusetts, has continued to commercialize the results well after the origins of the HeLa cell line became well known. Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Lacks family, announced the settlement late Monday. He said the terms of the agreement are confidential. “The parties are pleased that they were able to find a way to resolve this matter outside of Court and will have no further comment about the settlement,” Crump said in a statement.

[mimi-0007]

[gwydionmisha]

Far to late, but given how unlikely even a small measure of justice is, I am celebrating anyway.

[diioonysus]

happy women’s history month but also to the women who deserved better (to name a few)

[readyforevolution]

[classycookiexo]

It’s insane

[thesublimefew]

Meet Henrietta Lacks, a remarkable woman whose cells revolutionized medical research. In 1951, without her knowledge or consent, cells from her cervical cancer biopsy were taken and became the first immortal human cell line, known as HeLa cells. These cells have been vital in countless medical breakthroughs, from the polio vaccine to cancer treatments. Henrietta's story raises important questions about ethics, consent, and the exploitation of Black bodies in scientific research. Her legacy lives on, reminding us of the contributions and injustices within Black history.

[cock-holliday]

For folks who *haven’t* studied property law, you may not have heard of Henrietta Lacks, a Black cancer patient whose cells were collected by doctors in 1951 and used without her consent for various research projects.

Her body, like the bodies of so many other Black women throughout history, generated massive profits in medical research, was tied to grants, and ultimately patented. Henrietta was never informed, never compensated, and her family has been fighting for decades to see ANY compensation for the lifesaving medical breakthroughs, extensive research opportunities, and obscene amounts of revenue generated by the harvesting of the cancer that would shortly thereafter claim her life.

The legal matter has only *now* been “resolved.”

[3rdeyeblaque]

On August 1st we venerate Ancestor Henrietta Lacks on her 103rd birthday 🎉

Sister Henrietta is known throughout the world as, "The Mother Of Modern Medicine", being the biological source of the HeLa cells - 1st immortalized human cell line, which has been central to cancer research studies & methods. Billions of her cells are presently used in biomedical research development around the world, notably in the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, mapping the human genome, HIV/AIDS & cancer treatments, testing human cells against zero gravity in space, other vaccine research, & undoubtedly much more.

Today, however, venerate the woman behind the medical atrocities that it took to achieve such a feight.

Born Roanoke, VA, a young Henrietta grew up working on a tobacco farm with her father, her 9 siblings, & extended relatives on their land in Clover, VA - where their ancestors had worked as slaves. She'd lost her to complications of child birth when she was just 4yrs old. Due to his lack of patience, her father divided his children to be raised among different relatives accordingly. Henrietta was to be raised by her grandfather, who had already taken in her First-Cousin, David "Day" Lacks - who she later married. Henrietta continued her schooling until the 6th grade. On a hopeful prayer, they left Clover, VA for Turner Station, MD to escape the impoverished life that came with tobacco farming. There, they settled down to start their family.

While pregnant with her 5th child, Henrietta discovered a painful knot inside her that persisted through atypical bleeding post-childbirth, among other symptoms. Finally, she sought medical treatment. Prior to this, she & her family would lay flowers at the local Jesus statue, recite prayers & rub his feet for good luck. Henrietta kept her diagnosis to herself so as to not worry her family; she was determined to overcome her medical condition on her own.

While receiving treatment at a segregated ward in John Hopkins University, doctors took a tissue sample of her tumor for medical research without her knowledge or consent. This was an everyday practice at most medical institutions of the time. Unfortunately, Sister Henrietta did not survive her treatment. She was later buried at the Lacks Family Cemetery in Clover, Va.

Following her death, the medical research scientists from John Hopkins University coerced her husband to consenting to have an autopsy conducted on her remains; they claimed doing so would provide beneficial health information to his children. This allowed them to lawfully collect tissue samples from all of Henrietta 's organs. As of 2020, the cells from these tissue samples that were collected on that day & prior are THE most widely used in biomedical research labs around the world.

For all her pain, suffering, & desecration (of which the latter continues presently), may Sister Henrietta be forever elevated in peace, healing, & light in the spiritual as her physical essence has become immortalized in the physical.

We pour libations💧& give her 💐 today as we celebrate her for her love of family, community, & faith.

Offering suggestions: prayers toward her elevation, libations of water, catholic prayers, & a Catholic Bible.

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

[petervintonjr]

Meet the unsung contributor to revolutionary breakthroughs in treating polio, cancer, HPV, and even COVID-19: Henrietta Lacks. Born in 1920 Roanoke, Virginia, Henrietta's mother Eliza died when she was only four, and she was ultimately raised by her maternal grandfather in Clover, Virginia. Henrietta worked as a tobacco farmer and attended a segregated school until the age of 14, when she gave birth to a son, Lawrence. A daughter, Elsie, was born three years later --to compound the family's difficulties, Elsie had cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Henrietta and her now-husband David Lacks moved to Turner Station (now Dundalk), Maryland where David had landed a job with a nearby steel plant. At the time Turner Station was one of the oldest African-American communities in Baltimore County and there was sufficient community support for the family to buy a house and produce three more children.

In 1951 at the age of 31, Henrietta died at Johns Hopkins Hospital of cervical cancer, mere months after the birth of the family's youngest son. But before her death --and without her or her family's consent-- during a biopsy two tumour cell samples were taken from Henrietta's cervix and sent to Johns Hopkins researchers. Hernietta's cells carried a unique trait: an ability to rapidly multiply, producing a new generation every 24 hours; a breakthrough that no other human cell had achieved. Prior to this discovery, only cells that had been transformed by viruses or genetic mutations carried such a characteristic. With the prospect of now being able to work with what amounted to the first-ever naturally-occurring immortal human cells, researchers created a patent on the HeLa cell line but hid the donor's true identity under a fake name: Helen Lane.

It is no exaggeration to state that in the 70 years since her death, Henrietta's cells have been bought, sold, packaged, and shipped by thousands of laboratories; with her cells being used as a baseline in as many as 74,000 different studies (including some Nobel Prize winners). Her cells have even been sent into space to study the effects of microgravity, and were instrumental in the Human Genome Project. While no actual law (or even a code of ethics) necessarily required doctors to ask permission before taking tissue from a terminal patient, there was a very clear Maryland state law on the books that forbade tissue removal from the dead without permission, throwing the situation into something of a legal grey area. However because Henrietta was poor, minimally educated, and Black, this standard was quietly (and easily) circumvented and she was never recognized for her monumental contributions to science and medicine ...and her family was never compensated. The family remained unaware of Henrietta's contribution until 1975, when the HeLa line's provenance finally became public. Henrietta had been buried in an unmarked grave in the family cemetery in Clover, Virginia but in 2010 a new headstone was donated and dedicated, acknowledging her phenomenal contribution. That same year the John Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research established a new Henrietta Lacks Memorial lecture series. A statue of Lacks was commissioned in 2022, to be erected in Lacks's birthplace of Roanoke, Virginia --pointedly replacing a previous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which had been removed following nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd.

Dive into The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, originally published in 2011 and subsequently adapted into an HBO movie in 2017, starring Oprah Winfrey as Henrietta's daughter Deborah and Renee Elise Goldberry as Henrietta. (And yes, this book has been challenged and banned in more than one school district.)

[fyblackwomenart]

Learn more about Henrietta Lacks!

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Born Loretta Pleasants in Roanoke, Virginia Henrietta Lacks (August 1920-October 4, 1951) went to live with relatives in Clover, Virginia, after her mother died. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. While she was receiving treatment in a segregated ward at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, researchers took a small piece from Lacks's tumor, without her knowledge, for research purposes.

While experimenting on the sample, scientists observed that Lacks's cells reproduced and thrived outside of her body, a result researchers had unsuccessfully attempted to secure for decades. Lacks died of cancer on October 4, 1951, and was buried in a family cemetery in Clover. The "immortal cells" from Lacks's body continued to grow, and researchers around the world began to conduct experiments with them. Today, billions of HeLa cells are in use in laboratories around the world.

This image is a photo courtesy of the Lacks family and was reprinted from the "Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.

Learn more about Lacks on her Changemakers webpage at https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/items/show/30

[thechanelmuse]

My Book Review

"There isn't a person alive who hasn't benefited from my mother's cells." I read this book almost 2 months ago. Nineteen books later, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is still embedded and fresh in my brain. Still feeling a range of emotions because of the subject matter, Henrietta’s back story, the branch of stories within the main rooted story that highlights her children, the absolute rare and unique nature of Henrietta’s cells, and the voice of Deborah Lacks. This book could've only been told this way.

I've known about Henrietta Lacks and her unforgettable family for years, but kept putting this book off for obvious reasons. Hauntingly unsettling. Just one of many pages within the medical exploitation of Black Americans. Henrietta's stolen cellular language speaks in the form of indefinite replication outside of the body as the sole provider used in cure and treatment discovery that impacts the world. She existed before I was born and she'll continue to exist after we all pass on. How can something be traumatizing, infuriating, and fascinating all at the same time...

[thirteensfavoritetoy]

For anyone not familiar with the story of Henrietta Lacks, let me just say that she...or her cells, at least...have helped to save thousands of lives, possibly millions of lives, in the past few decades.

[classycookiexo]

THIS

Also if you are unaware please educate yourself with the Henrietta Lacks story

Many readers have asked doctors about this case and they refuse to talk about it !

[black-paraphernalia]

We at *BP family in the pass post a story of Mrs Henrietta Lacks story and how she and her family for generation were robbed by the scientific community for decades. The most important information to take away is that a single BLACK WOMAN DNA has contributed to modern medical breakthroughs and cures, and is still ongoing. There are a myriad of scientific developments due to Mrs Lacks -HELA CELLS as them called it. We are please to see that the family is getting restitution and reparations from yet again being robbed by them and covering up as them taken the credit and leaving the Black community/family in the dark and high and dry. We will reblog the original post.

ONCE AGAIN A BLACK WOMEN IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

(The above is a *BP* commentary opinion)

BLACK PARAPHERNALIA DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ

Family of Henrietta Lacks settles lawsuit with biotech giant, lawyer says

The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cancer cells were used without permission to form the basis of decades of scientific research, has reached a settlement with the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The cells, known as HeLa cells, were taken from Lacks without her knowledge or consent in 1951 when she was seeking cervical cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore. Doctors discovered that the cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours in the lab instead of dying. They were the first human cells that scientists successfully cloned, and they have been reproduced infinitely ever since.

Lacks herself died in 1951, but her cells continued to be used after her death in research that led to a series of medical advancements, including in the development of the polio vaccine and in treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, leukemia and Parkinson's disease. Lacks' family only found out about it decades later.

Lacks' story reached millions of Americans through the nonfiction bestseller "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," which was made into an HBO movie starring Oprah Winfrey as Lacks' daughter, Deborah.

In 2021, Lacks' estate filed a lawsuit against Thermo Fisher Scientific, alleging that the company was mass producing and selling tissue taken from Lacks even after it became well-known that the materials had been taken from her without her consent. The suit was filed exactly 70 years after Lacks' death.

"Thermo Fisher Scientific has known that HeLa cells were stolen from Ms. Lacks and chose to use her body for profit anyway," the lawsuit alleged. It has been previously reported that Thermo Fisher Scientific said they generate about $35 billion in annual revenue. In the lawsuit, Lacks' estate asked that the company "disgorge the full amount of its net profits obtained by commercializing the HeLa cell line to the Estate of Henrietta Lacks."

The suit also sought an order stopping the company from using the HeLa cells without the estate's permission. The terms of Tuesday's settlement were not made public, but Crump said in a news conference that both parties were "pleased" to have resolved the matter outside of court, CBS Baltimore reported. (except taken from KERRY BREEN CBS NEWS , 2023 )

INFORMATION OBTAIN FROM NATURE.COM FOR MORE READ CLICK HERE

SOME CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HELA CELLS

-HeLa cells were first used to study the growth and spread of poliomyelitis virus, the cure of Polio

-HeLa cells have also been instrumental in the development of Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines.

-Over the years, HeLa cells have been infected with various types of viruses including HIV, Zika, herpes, and mumps

-HeLa cells have been used in a number of cancer studies, including those involving sex steroid hormones such as estradiol, estrogen, and estrogen proliferation.

-Hela cells contribute to scientists Joe Hin Tjio and Albert Levan to develop better techniques for staining and counting chromosomes.This was important for the study of developmental disorders such as down syndrome that involved the number of chromosomes.

-HeLa cells were sent on the first satellite and human space missions to determine the long term effects of space travel on living cells and tissue.

-HeLa cell line was derived for use in cancer research. and human papillomavirus 18 (HPV18) to human cervical cells created the HeLa genome, which is different from Henrietta Lacks’ genome in various ways,

-The complete genome of the HeLa cells was sequenced and published on 11 March 2013[46][47] without the Lacks family’s knowledge

-HeLa cells as a tool to uncover the machinery required and process used for invasion of human cells. Researchers have also investigated the stability of the virus’s genomic material in HeLa cells by comparing its genomic material with that of many other viruses. The use of HeLa cells in COVID-19 research has provided insights on the molecular mechanics of SARS-CoV-2019 and the components required for infection.

INFORMATION OBTAINED HERE

A LASTING CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD

When Henrietta Lacks and her cells alerted the world to the existence of immortal human cells, opportunities arose for research and medical treatment development.

Today, her cells continue to serve academic and industrial institutions. So much so that she has been described as the Mother of Modern Medicine in a painting by artist Kadir Nelson in 2017.

The use of HeLa cells in COVID-19 research is a testament to Henrietta Lacks’s lasting contribution to provide microscopic tools for scientific discoveries that billions have benefitted from thus far and will benefit from in the future to come.

INFORMATION OBTAIN FROM NATURE.COM FOR MORE READ CLICK HERE

SOME CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HELA CELLS

-HeLa cells were first used to study the growth and spread of poliomyelitis virus, the cure of Polio

-HeLa cells have also been instrumental in the development of Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines.

-Over the years, HeLa cells have been infected with various types of viruses including HIV, Zika, herpes, and mumps

-HeLa cells have been used in a number of cancer studies, including those involving sex steroid hormones such as estradiol, estrogen, and estrogen proliferation.

-Hela cells contribute to scientists Joe Hin Tjio and Albert Levan to develop better techniques for staining and counting chromosomes.This was important for the study of developmental disorders such as down syndrome that involved the number of chromosomes.

-HeLa cells were sent on the first satellite and human space missions to determine the long term effects of space travel on living cells and tissue.

-HeLa cell line was derived for use in cancer research. and human papillomavirus 18 (HPV18) to human cervical cells created the HeLa genome, which is different from Henrietta Lacks’ genome in various ways,

-The complete genome of the HeLa cells was sequenced and published on 11 March 2013 without the Lacks family’s knowledge

-HeLa cells as a tool to uncover the machinery required and process used for invasion of human cells. Researchers have also investigated the stability of the virus’s gnomic material in HeLa cells by comparing its genomic material with that of many other viruses.

The use of HeLa cells in COVID-19 research has provided insights on the molecular mechanics of SARS-CoV-2019 and the components required for infection.

INFORMATION OBTAINED HERE

A LASTING CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD

When Henrietta Lacks and her cells alerted the world to the existence of immortal human cells, opportunities arose for research and medical treatment development.

Today, her cells continue to serve academic and industrial institutions. So much so that she has been described as the Mother of Modern Medicine in a painting by artist Kadir Nelson in 2017.

The use of HeLa cells in COVID-19 research is a testament to Henrietta Lacks’s lasting contribution to provide microscopic tools for scientific discoveries that billions have benefitted from thus far and will benefit from in the future to come.