Until Tiffany Cross’ MSNBC morning show on Saturday, I’d never heard of HeLA cells, much less Henrietta Lacks, the woman for whom they are named. But the truth is that these cells were taken without her consent in 1951 and have been cloned and widely used for medical research. If you’ve received the polio vaccine, for example, you have benefited from these cells.

Family is now suing

The family of Mrs. Lacks, who was Black, is now suing Thermo Fisher Scientific, arguing that the company earned profits from the cell line and that its origins are unethical.

The circumstances

Mrs. Lacks had received treatment for cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins University, according to a report from Live Science. During a biopsy, a physician sampled cells from Mrs. Lacks’ tumor and cultured the cells without her knowledge or consent. To the doctor’s surprise, the cells kept dividing and multiplying, which no cell line had done before.

In years to come

Moving forward, this “immortal cell line” would become widely used in developing such things as the polio vaccine, and studying HIV viruses, as well as those that cause herpes, Parkinson’s, cancer and Zika. The line also has been used in the study of genetics.

No good outcome for Mrs. Lacks

While scientists profited from this cell use, Mrs. Lacks didn’t have such a good outcome. The mother of five died soon after her biopsy in 1951. But the pharmaceutical industry has profited financially from these cells. And we all have benefited from the research and vaccine development.

Widely used in testing

“Almost all medicines that have been developed and marketed have been tested on these cells,” said a member of the family’s legal team at a press conference on October 4. “Every time a company does that with knowledge that they’re working with stolen material, they’re enhancing the claim,” he added.

Lacks’ family suit

The Lacks family seeks both financial compensation from Thermo Fisher and an agreement that the company won’t use HeLa cells without permission from the Lacks estate. “Why is it they (Thermo Fisher) have intellectual rights to her blood cells and can benefit billions of dollars when her family, her flesh and blood, her Black children, get nothing?” said another attorney representing the family. The family also expects to file suits against other pharmaceutical companies shortly.

No response from Thermo Fisher

Several news outlets, including USA Today, the AP and The Boston Globe, contacted Thermo Fisher for comment but nothing has been received.

Tiffany Cross

Glad I tuned in to Tiffany Cross on Saturday. While her Cross Connection can sometimes make me feel a little uncomfortable as a person with white privilege, I think that’s the point. Her stories tend to hit hard at inequality issues in America. And I find stories there I don’t get elsewhere.