JHU BREAKS GROUND ON BUILDING NAMED IN HONOR OF HENRIETTA LACKS

Johns Hopkins University has broken ground on the future site of a building that’s being named in honor of Henrietta Lacks.  The Baltimore woman’s cells were illegally taken without consent during a medical procedure in 1951. Researchers found that the “HeLa” cells could reproduce indefinitely, and they’re still being used in medical research. Lacks’ family attended the groundbreaking and JHU President Ron Daniels told them the new facility will be a concrete commitment to ensure that Henrietta Lacks’ name will be as immortal as her cells.  The building will support programs in the Berman Institute for Bioethics, the School of Medicine, and other divisions of the university.