Henrietta Lacks genome

Doing a little research on Henrietta Lacks, I came across this 2013 New York Times article that indicates  the National Institutes of Health did come to an agreement with the family of Henrietta Lacks for the use of the HeLa cell line for medical research.

Her cervical cancer (which she died of) was caused by HPV infection, they have found its location in her genome.  That's likely why her cells are so resilient as well, permitting their long term use as a research tool.

I note the agreement did not include financial compensation to the family. Instead a research review board has been established, and the Lacks family has two seats on the board.

One big concern with genomic research is privacy concerns for descendants.  I look forward to that as a topic of discussion in this meeting.

There's a collection of supplemental materials including interviews with Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks available here.

Hopefully everyone is somewhere close to page 100 of the current selection.