by James Felton – IFLScience –
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks, which alleged that the company unfairly profited from her “immortal” cell line, taken without her knowledge or consent in 1951 and still widely used in laboratories worldwide today.
Born Loretta Pleasant on 1 August 1920, and later taking on the nickname “Henrietta”, as well as her husband’s surname “Lacks”, Henrietta first came to the attention of scientists when she sought treatment for illness in February 1951. At that point, she showed up at Johns Hopkins hospital – the only hospital in the area that would treat black patients at the time – complaining of a painful “knot” inside her, as well as vaginal bleeding. A biopsy showed she had cervical cancer.
