Last mentioned: Feb 27, 2026
Novartis Settlement
Novartis reaches an agreement to resolve the estate's claims of unjust enrichment.
Thermo Fisher Settlement
The Lacks estate reaches the first major settlement with a biotech company over HeLa cells.
Death of Henrietta Lacks
Lacks passes away from cancer, unaware her cells have become the first immortal human cell line.
Cells Harvested
Henrietta Lacks' cervical cancer cells are harvested at Johns Hopkins without her consent.
Novartis has reached a settlement with the estate of Henrietta Lacks, addressing the decades-long commercial exploitation of her 'immortal' HeLa cells without consent. This agreement marks a significant legal precedent for the biotechnology industry, highlighting the shift toward accountability for biological material provenance in modern medicine.
Seer (NASDAQ: SEER) reported quarterly earnings that exceeded analyst expectations by $0.03 per share, signaling resilience in the life sciences tools sector. The results highlight growing adoption of the company's Proteograph Product Suite as researchers increasingly prioritize high-resolution proteomics in drug discovery.