Estate of Henrietta Lacks reaches settlement with biotech company for nonconsensual use of her cells in medical research

The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cells have been used for scientific research for decades, reached a settlement Tuesday with the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific, the family's attorneys said.

Lacks' family filed a federal lawsuit in 2021 against the company, arguing it is knowingly profiting from Lacks' tissue sample and cell line.

In 1951, Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had tissue taken from her cervix without her consent during a procedure at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Lacks died later that year from the cancer at the age of 31.

The sample was later used to create a human cell line that can reproduce itself outside of the body, which is now known as HeLa cells.

The cells have been used to develop the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, gene mapping, advancements in cancer treatment, AIDS research, cloning and stem cell studies, CNN previously reported.

The family and the company reached a "confidential settlement" outside the court, the Lacks' attorneys told CNN.

At a news conference Tuesday, family members and their attorneys said the settlement will help them in their efforts to keep Lacks' legacy alive.