Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks 1920 – 1951
Henrietta Lacks is often referred to as the ‘Mother of Modern Medicine.’ After dying of cervical cancer, cells were taken from the body of Mrs. Lacks without her (or her family’s) knowledge or prior consent. The cells taken at Johns Hopkins Hospital were later discovered to multiply at a higher than normal rate and did not die unlike most other human cells, producing the first living human cell line.
This discovery led to the production of the world’s first immortal cell line, named “HeLa” for the cells original host. HeLa Cells were central to twentieth century advancements in biomedical research. Thanks to Lacks researchers better understood how cells grow and how cells survive. Research in modern medicine owes a debt to Mrs. Lacks. Specifically, the development of the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, research in gene mapping, AIDS, and in-vitro fertilization, were all made possible as a result of Lacks’ HeLa Cells.
A shortage of HeLa Cella resulted from a 1970s era contamination. The Lacks family was subsequently contacted by medical supply companies requesting blood samples. Her family was alarmed by the request as the companies had not provided a reason for the request. The family dug for answers and learned of the legacy of Mrs. Lacks.
The family’s discovery led to a debate focused on patient consent and rightful ownership of the cells in one’s body. At the time of Lacks’ death in 1951, consent for cell extraction was not normally practiced nor required by law for research purposes. However, the legal issue of commercialization and royalties derived from cells was unresolved. But this time, the Lacks family was most concerned with the issue of privacy. But privacy was a virtual impossibility considering medical researchers had published thousands of articles on the HeLa Cell line, all without seeking or receiving consent from the Lacks family. Many of those articles included private information about Lacks and her Lacks family.
The Lacks family and the National Institutes of Health reached an agreement giving the family some control over the cells’ DNA sequence. Additionally, two family members joined the six-member committee which regulated access to the sequence data.
It took nearly half a century for Henrietta Lacks to receive the recognition she deserved for her contribution to medical science. In 1996 (45 years after her death), Morehouse School of Medicine held its first annual HeLa Women’s Health Conference. Later that year, the Mayor of Atlanta declared October 11, 1996 as Henrietta Lacks Day. One year later, U.S. Congressman Robert Ehrlich posthumously presented Lacks a congressional resolution recognizing Lacks’ contributions to medical science and research. In 2014, Lacks was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame.
Though Henrietta Lacks died sadly at a young age in 1951, the HeLa Cells live on and impact medical research to this day.
