I first wrote about Henrietta Lacks and her miraculous story as part of a Black History Month series, in a post on February 3, 2010. To summarize, Mrs. Lacks, was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 1, 1951. Though treated for the disease, she lived only 6 more months.
Henrietta Pleasant was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1920. She married David Lacks, and moved to Baltimore, where David worked in a shipyard. Her remains were buried in her native community, in Halifax County, Virginia.
Mrs. Lacks, who lived in relative obscurity attained notoriety after death. Her story was catapulted into the spotlight due to the unique characteristics of her cells. Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that her cells contained unique properties. The resulting breakthrough revealed a departure from anything scientists had seen before. The cells from Mrs. Lacks continued to grow, outside of her body, and after her death. In fact, they did not just survive, they multiplied. Four years after her death, cells from Mrs. Lacks’ culture were used to help Dr. Jonas Salk develop a vaccine for polio in 1955. Ironically, she had marched to help find a cure for that disease just before her cancer diagnosis.
As I noted back in 2010, and have mentioned in later reprising the story, Mrs. Lacks’ story is powerful in its simplicity. Absent a critical lens of inquiry, it has the sound of a saga about a young woman who died too soon, but whose death provided the gift of life, and healthier lives for countless others. The reality is that…and so much more.
Henrietta was a poor Black woman who was treated in some instances as incidental to the research conducted by hospital staff. Eventually, as the story gained traction, and became more widely disseminated, the precious cells Mrs. Lacks “donated” were given the name “HeLa,” in her honor.
The chief researcher of Mrs. Lacks cells, Dr. George Gey, had been searching for a way to keep cells alive outside the body. The cells taken from Henrietta were so incredibly aggressive that in a few short months, the cancer had spread throughout her entire body. The very properties that led to Mrs. Lacks demise, most likely served as the catalyst for Dr. Gey’s success in inducing cells to continue growing for more than a few weeks outside the body. Those same properties also led to breakthroughs in cancer research, drug testing, Dr. Salk’s polio vaccine, insight into facilitating the survival of other cells, and ultimately, a new paradigm in biology.
It was eventually discovered that HeLa cells are so ubiquitous that they literally took over countless cell samples, resulting in contaminating samples, and invalidating research results. That is unfortunate. But I submit, the real victims in the HeLa story are the Lacks. In addition to not gaining the requisite permission to extract Henrietta’s cell tissue for research purchases, the virtual explosion of the HeLa phenomenon had been unfolding for decades before the family ever learned of it.
The growth and sale of HeLa, which continues unabated today, has generated countless millions of dollars in sales revenue, lead to saving lives across American, and around the world, and furthered medical research initiatives for more than 70 years.
So, what have the Lacks gained from all these medical machinations, you may ask?
Nothing, nada, zero, zilch…at least, until yesterday.
Henrietta’s family filed a federal lawsuit in 2021 against a biotech company known as Thermo Fisher Scientific, alleging it was knowingly profiting from Mrs. Lacks’ tissue sample and cell line. Yesterday, the two parties reached a settlement.
Over the years, the cells have been used to develop the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, gene mapping, advances in cancer treatments, AIDS research, cloning, and stem cell studies, as CNN previously reported.
According to CNN and the Lack’s attorney, the family and the company reached a “confidential settlement” outside the court. At the news conference to announce the agreement, the Lacks family said the settlement will help the effort to keep Henrietta’s legacy alive.
“On her 103rd birthday, we got justice,” said Alfred Lacks-Carter, Jr., Mrs. Lacks’ grandson.
Ben Crump, one of the family’s attorneys, noted that he hopes the settlement will help further educate others about Mrs. Lacks’ legacy. He went on to say:
“This Black woman gave so much to the world, it’s good to give her a present back on her birthday.”
Thermo Fisher told CNN it was “pleased” a settlement was reached outside of court and declined to provide further comment on the case.
CNN reached out to The Johns Hopkins Hospital for comment on the settlement. Though the hospital was not names in the lawsuit, it is previously on record, having said, Mrs. Lacks’ tissue sample would not have been taken without her consent for use in scientific research today.
In a world of pithy aphorisms, there are a couple of contradictory ones that apply to this moment. First, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” Without question, Mrs. Lacks’ immediate family was unable to benefit from this long overdue accord. Second, “Better late than never.” After 72 years, it would have been easy to give up. Fortunately for the current and future Lacks progeny, the Lacks did not know the meaning of quit. And so, today, and evermore, we have, “Henrietta Lacks: A Legacy That Will Live Forever!”
I’m done; holla back!
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A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/01/us/henrietta-lacks-thermo-fisher-scientific-settlement/index.html
http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2023/08/henrietta-lacks-legacy-that-will-live.html
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