Henrietta Lacks' Family Files New Lawsuit Against Ultragenyx Over Unauthorized Use of Cells

Henrietta Lacks' descendants settled a lawsuit against Thermo Fisher Scientific over profiting from her cells without consent.
The family has now filed a lawsuit against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical for using Lacks' cells, known as HeLa cells, without permission to develop gene therapy products.
The lawsuit seeks to stop Ultragenyx from using the cells without approval, establish a trust, disclose profits, and provide financial relief.
Lacks did not consent to having her cells harvested in 1951, but they proved valuable in medical research on vaccines and other diseases.
The lawsuit against Ultragenyx follows the confidential settlement reached with Thermo Fisher earlier this month.