Henrietta Lacks’ Family Can Advance Ultragenyx Cell Use Suit

The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose “immortal cell line” has led to medical innovations, such as the polio vaccine and gene mapping, can proceed with its lawsuit against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a federal court ruled Monday.

Henrietta’s grandson, Ron Lacks, says the company has wrongly benefited from tissue taken from Henrietta in the 1950s without her knowledge or consent during a procedure for cervical cancer and hasn’t compensated the Lacks family. Because Henrietta’s cells could replicate indefinitely, “HeLa cells” have gone on to enable scientific breakthroughs in medical research.

The family is seeking a share of ...