Science & Ethics - HeLa Cells: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Source: New York Times

Excerpt from “A Family Consents to a Medical Gift, 62 Years Later.” New York Times. August 7, 2013.

Henrietta Lacks was only 31 when she died of cervical cancer in 1951 in a Baltimore hospital. Not long before her death, doctors removed some of her tumor cells. They later discovered that the cells could thrive in a lab, a feat no human cells had achieved before.

Soon the cells, called HeLa cells, were being shipped from Baltimore around the world. In the 62 years since, her cells have been the subject of more than 74,000 studies, many of which have yielded profound insights into cell biology, vaccines, in vitro fertilization and cancer.

But Henrietta Lacks, who was poor, black and uneducated, never consented to her cells’ being studied. For 62 years, her family has been left out of the decision-making around [and financial benefits of] that research.

Excerpt from "A New Chapter in the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." National Geographic. August 17, 2013.

An aggressive strain of cervical cancer took her life in 1951, when she was only 31. But cells harvested from her tumor, without her consent, have lived on ... and on and on.

The best-selling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which features the striking image of Lacks on its cover, tells the story of this African-American woman, her family, and her fast-growing cells, used in over 70,000 medical studies.

"HeLa cells," as they are called, have made vital contributions to the development of drugs for herpes, leukemia, influenza, and Parkinson's disease. The cells have been used in studies on everything from lactose digestion to mosquito mating. "The cells reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped," writes author Rebecca Skloot. Today there are millions, perhaps even billions, of her cells "in small vials on ice."

Further Reading:

"Henrietta's Tumor." Radiolab Podcast. 

Living Human Cells in Culture. University of Texas, Medical Branch. Galveston. Video.

Zielinski, Sarah. "Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal’ Cells." The Smithsonian: Special Report. January 22, 2010.

Feature article by Dale Keiger - "Immortal Cells, Enduring Issues."  Johns Hopkins Magazine. June 20, 2010. 


Jha, Alok. "Science Weekly: The 'immortal' Henrietta Lacks." The Guardian Podcast. June 21, 2010. (29 minutes long) 


Moorhead, Johanna. "Henrietta Lacks: the mother of modern medicine." The Guardian: Science. June 23, 2010. 


Biography.com Editors. "Henrietta Lacks Biography." Biography.com.  August 22 2016.