Library’s Friends to host expert panel discussion

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells — taken without her knowledge in 1951 — became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance. The story will soon be made into an HBO movie by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball. (www.rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life)

The Friends of the Canton Public Library and the One Town One Book Committee invite the public to a fascinating discussion with a panel of experts on the bio-ethical issues raised by the bestselling and critically acclaimed book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

This free program, which is open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, in the library’s Community Room. Refreshments will be served.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has inspired many conversations regarding the use of genetic material and the right to privacy and control over an individual’s own genetic material. It vividly portrays how Henrietta Lack’s cancerous cells, remarkably prone to cultivation, gave life to a new and productive course in medical research and ushered in a multi-billion-dollar industry. The reader is given insight into the lives of Henrietta and her family, whose consent for the use of her cells was never given, nor compensation or regard for her historic contribution ever received — until the publication of this book.

Last year, on World Book Night, the Friends distributed over 100 copies of the book to Canton residents. If you have read the book, you’ll better appreciate this program; if you haven’t, copies are still available at the library’s main service desk.

The Friends have brought together an amazing panel of experts to elevate our understanding of these issues and inform the discussion. Professor M.H. Zaman is the director of the Laboratory of Engineering Education, Innovative Engineering Education Faculty (IEEF) fellow, and associate professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University.

Joining Professor Zaman will be Thomas Bollenbach, associate director of preclinical research and development at Canton-based Organogenesis, the industry leader in the field of regenerative medicine, and science journalist and author Greg Mone. Discussion and audience participation will be moderated by Dick Staiti, former chairman of the Canton High School science department.

For more on each of the panelists, go to www.bu.edu/bme/people/primary/zaman, www.organogenesis.com, and gregorymone.blogspot.com.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Mar 7 2013. Filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.