Henrietta Lacks family settle lawsuit

Published: Aug. 2, 2023, 8 p.m.

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Henrietta Lacks was only 31 years old when she died from cervical cancer in 1951. While she was in hospital in the USA, her cells were harvested without her knowledge which, since being replicated infinitely, have gone on to enable research into cancer, dementia and Parkinson\\u2019s. As well as contributing to the development of vaccines for polio and COVID-19. Her family have fought for decades to get justice for the \\u201cstolen\\u201d cells, and this week reached a settlement with Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond\\nProducer: Clare Salisbury

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