Estate of Henrietta Lacks, whose immortal cell line has fueled medical research, sues drug developer Ultragenyx

Immortal cells cultivated more than 70 years ago from tiny pieces of tissues taken without consent by Johns Hopkins University researchers from cancer patient Henrietta Lacks landed rare disease treatment developer Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. in U.S. District Court to face a lawsuit from Lacks' family. The suit claims Ultragenyx has "made a fortune" by using Lacks' "stolen cells as a factory to make (the company's) 'proprietary' gene therapy products." Ron Lacks, the grandson of Henrietta and …
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news