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Birth
Henrietta Lacks is born in Roanoke, Virginia. -
Nuremburg Code
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HeLa
George Gey successfully cultures the first immortal human cell line using cells from Henrietta’s cervix -
Death
Henrietta Lacks dies of cervical cancer. -
Polio
Scientists use HeLa cells to help develop the polio vaccine. -
Helen Lane
The alias Helen Lane first appears by a reporter as the source of HeLa cells. -
Informed Consent
The term “informed consent” first appears in court documents. -
Informed Consent Guidelines
The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York finds Southam and a colleague guilty of unprofessional conduct and calls for stricter guidelines regarding human research subjects and informed consent. -
HeLa Bomb
Stanley Gartler drops the HeLa bomb and proposes that HeLa cells have contaminated numerous cell lines. -
Doctor Grey
George Gey dies of pancreatic cancer -
John Moore
John Moore unsuccessfully sues his doctor and the Board of Regents of the University of California for property rights over his tissues. Moore appeals the decision -
John Moore Pt. 2
The Supreme Court of California rules against John Moore,
saying that once tissues are removed from the body, with or without consent, a person no longer owns those tissues. -
Myriad Genetics
More than 150,000 scientists join the American Civil Liberties Union andbreast cancer patients in suing Myriad Genetics over its breast-cancer gene patents.The suit claims that the practice of gene patenting violates patent law and has inhibited scientific research.