In February 2026, over 70 years after doctors took Lacks’ cells without her consent or knowledge, her family reached a settlement with biotech company Novartis, which they’d sued in 2024 for making billions of dollars from her unethically harvested cells. Lacks’ descendants also filed lawsuits against several other biotech companies, including Thermo Fisher, which they reached a settlement with in August 2023. The family had not been previously compensated.
Lacks’ cervical cancer cells, called “HeLa” after the first two letters of her first and last name, are immortal, continuing to divide when most cells would die. This ability to survive through endless generations of cells is what makes them invaluable for scientists conducting experiments on human cells.
