BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks

Subject: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 03:25 PM

Who knew? What an incredible story NPR just carried. Here's more:

CLICK HERE

From the article above:

Journalist Rebecca Skloot's new book investigates how a poor black tobacco farmer had a groundbreaking impact on modern medicine laboratory-grown human cells to learn the intricacies of how cells work and test theories about the causes and treatment of diseases. The cell lines they need are "immortal"—they can grow indefinitely, be frozen for decades, divided into different batches and shared among scientists. In 1951, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, created the first immortal human cell line with a tissue sample taken from a young black woman with cervical cancer. Those cells, called HeLa cells, quickly became invaluable to medical research—though their donor remained a mystery for decades. In her new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, journalist Rebecca Skloot tracks down the story of the source of the amazing HeLa cells, Henrietta Lacks, and documents the cell line's impact on both modern medicine and the Lacks family.

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 08:36 PM

I heard about Henrietta Lacks and her cell line on NPR perhaps six months ago. Old news, even old on NPR.

It is an impressive story, though. Of course neither she nor her immediate or remote family get anything out of the riches from her blood.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 10:06 PM

Oh, they had the author on Science Friday, today, but I didn't realise the book came out earlier. Just saw the date on the article I found. Apparently the family are still trying to get some kind of recognition/renumeration for something she did not know of nor consent to. Quite a story.

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: bobad
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 11:16 PM

HeLa cells are used extensively in medical research, they have contributed immensely to the advancement of knowledge in many areas of medicine. At the time when they were first harvested and found to have the property of immortality the subject of medical ethics was not as evolved as it is today. It was common practice to use harvested matter from patients without their consent, as there existed at the time an altruistic spirit in the field - the aim of research was to the benefit of mankind. Since around the mid 80s (speaking from my own experience) this has changed. Now, most research institutions, due to funding cut backs, are in the business of patenting for the purpose of generating profits. This has moved the yardsticks as far as compensation goes. My position is that if any individual or institution has benefited financially from any application derived from the HeLa line of cells, then some compensation should be awarded to the family.

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 11:22 PM

Well put, bobad, and from what little I've read, I have to say I agree.

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 12:45 PM

Yes, I heard about this. Boy, should her family be being compensated. But it's a fascinating story.

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 03:53 PM

Terry Gross had an excellent long interview with the book author on Fresh Air some months back.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 04:18 PM

That was probably where I first heard it.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: Stringsinger
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 05:03 PM

We read this in our book club. The rationale of the doctors at the time it started to be used was that they really didn't know who the donor was. It was distributed without that information. The question remains, what kind of reparations can be given? And to whom?
There are members of her extended family who would claim them but are they justified as she or her immediate family would have been? What if the cells had been held up and not used? What would have happened to medical science without their use?

It's a complex issue and there are no easy answers. The problem is that Big Pharma
is too corrupt now as are all the major corporations from banks to health care.

Subject: RE: BS: The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 07:06 PM

I agree: Too much water has flowed under the bridge since the "harvest" of the original cells, and the current crop of potential claimants are too far removed from Henrietta and her close family, who might ethically have been entitled to some payout for the use of the HeLa cells. And the whole class of medical and scientific users are too far removed from what might be seen as the original wrongful use of her cells. Those are essentially the practical problems.

Then as far as legalities, I question whether the state of the law at the time of "harvest" would support a claim then, let alone now.

Dave Oesterreich