Question: This Is In Reference To Henrietta Lacks And Her Cells.

Case 8E – Henrietta Lacks – Hela Cells After reading Case 8E on page 240, respond to the following questions: 1. Who owns genetic material? 2. Should private interests be able to patent someone else’s genetic material and information? Explain your answer. 3. Should people, who have donated genetic material or information that leads to patents, be entitled to some of the profits? Why or why not? Case 8E Henrietta Lacks has been dead for more than 60 years, yet some of her cells live on. Henrietta died of cervical cancer in her tumor discovered the cells continued to survive and grow in 1951. Shortly after her death, scientists using cells taken from the lab. These cells, now known as Hela cells, became the first immortal human cell line. Her cells have since been used in countless scientific and medical research experiments. In fact, it is estimated scientists have grown twenty tons of her cells and almost 11,000 patents are related to the use of her cells. How- ever, Henrietta’s cells had been taken without consent and her family never knew of this until more recently, when scientists began contacting the family to get more of the family’s genetic makeup and history. In essence, Henrietta’s cells had launched a multimillion dollar industry selling human biological materi- als, yet her family never saw any of the profits. Discussion questions. Who owns genetic material? Should pri- vate interests be able to patent someone else’s genetic mate- rial and information? Should people who have donated genetic material or information that leads to patents be entitled to some of the profits? Beyond requiring informed consent, should the government regulate the commercial use of such genetic mate- rial and information?