Professor Jorge Contreras, an expert in genetics and intellectual property, recently spoke to The New York Times and The Baltimore Sun about the family of Henrietta Lacks’ settlement with biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Lacks’ cells were taken from her in 1951 without her knowledge or consent. Though she died the same year of cervical cancer, Lacks’ cells continue to live on (called HeLa cells) and have been used in many scientific breakthroughs.
Media appearances:
The Unsettled Debate at the Heart of the Henrietta Lacks Case
The New York Times
As lawyers for Henrietta Lacks’ family plan to sue other companies, legal scholars debate potential for success
The Baltimore Sun