Imagine that your cells were taken from you without your permission, and kept alive. Imagine that those cells launched a medical revolution and multi-million dollar industry, but your children and grandchildren couldn't receive even basic healthcare. Science writer Rebecca Skloot (twitter, blog), is speaking tonight about the medical controversy involving Henrietta Lacks whose cells, taken without her consent, became one of the most important tools in modern medicine. According to Skloot, "the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of."
When? Tonight, 7-10pm (includes book signing)
Where? CSUN, Northridge Center, University Student Union
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Skloot spent more than 10 years researching and writing her debut book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and it quickly became a New York Times best-seller. She has been featured on numerous television shows including CBS Sunday Morning, The Colbert Report, Fox Business News, and others. It's already won many awards, but perhaps the most exciting news is that Oprah, Alan Ball (director of True Blood), and HBO are teaming up to make a film version of the book.
