Ownership of the HeLa cell line - a South African perspective
Description
In this podcast episode, Nomfundo Mthembu discusses the ownership of the HeLa cell line with Professor Donrich Thaldar.
Summary
The HeLa cell line was created in 1951 without consent from Henrietta Lacks, the person whose tissue sample was used. Ownership of cell lines is investigated from a South African legal perspective by considering three possible contemporary scenarios bearing points of similarity to the Henrietta Lacks case. The importance of legal compliance and good faith is highlighted.
Further reading
Thaldar DW. Who would own the HeLa cell line if the Henrietta Lacks case happened in present-day South Africa? Journal of Law and the Biosciences. 2023.
https://academic.oup.com/jlb/article/10/1/lsad011/7165261
See also
Thaldar DW, Shozi B. The legal status of human biological material used for research. South African Law Journal. 2021.
https://www.jutajournals.co.za/the-legal-status-of-human-biological-material-used-for-research/
Funding
This episode was made possible by a grant from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (award number U01MH127690) under the Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) program. The content of this podcast is solely the responsibility of discussants of the podcast and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health or the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
United States
