Henrietta Lacks’ Family Settles Lawsuit Over Use of Famed Cells

The grandson of a woman whose “immortal cell line” led to medical breakthroughs such as the polio vaccine, gene mapping, and in vitro fertilization has settled a lawsuit against a company that developed products using her biological material without permission or payment.

Judge Deborah L. Boardman of the US District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed the case Tuesday after Ron Lacks and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. told the court that they had reached a settlement agreement over profits the company earned after developing tools using Henrietta Lacks’ biological materials. The agreement’s terms weren’t disclosed.

Henrietta died in 1951. ...