Born in Virginia in 1920, cells from Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cancer proved to be ‘immortal’ and are still in research use today.
Johns Hopkins in Baltimore was one of the few hospitals willing to treat black patients in 1950s. Mrs. Lacks presented with a very aggressive type of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) related cervical cancer. “Her cells were collected not for her medical treatment, but for research purposes without her knowledge or consent. (see videos, above and below)
In 1951, scientists collected cervical cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks without her consent. Her cells were then used to establish the HeLa cell line (named with the first two letters of her first and last name) which was used in several groundbreaking medical discoveries – and is still used today.
Lack of informed consent, exposure of (private) medical information, and the commercialization (use) of these cells for profit are some of the profound ethical considerations that make this one of the most controversial cases in the history of medicine and medical research. While her cells were collected prior to the Declaration of Helsinki, the Lacks family is still fighting to advocate for Henrietta’s rights, 72 years after her death.”
American Women in Science https://awis.org/resource/ethical-challenges-medical-research-henrietta-lacks-hela-cell-line/
Imagine the scene: a piece of your body is taken from you while you are in surgery, placed in a laboratory, and is used in experiments over the next 70 years or so - and you know nothing about it. Scientists and pharmaceutical companies make plenty of money using that little piece of you- but you and your family get none of it.
short video of Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta’s Legacy
“At the time of her diagnosis, she was a 30-year old mother of five. To determine whether the tumor was benign or malignant, her medical team performed a biopsy.
A portion of the biopsy was given to Dr. George Otto Gay, who cultured the cells and established the HeLa cell line without ever informing Lacks, a fact that her family would not find out about until decades later. A cell line is a population of cells, derived from an original small number of cells that can repeatedly reproduce under laboratory conditions. This continually dividing, “immortal” cell line, was incredibly useful to scientists. This was the first cell line of its kind. Most human cells die after dividing 40-60 times, but hers proved to be immortal, endlessly multiplying into more cells and human tissue.
Her cells were used to create the polio vaccine and to make essential medical advances in cancer, HPV and HIV/AIDS. Her cells were even sent into space to see what effect zero gravity would have on them.
Henrietta died at age 30 in early 1951. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that her family was somewhat financially compensated. Lacks was also recognized for her body’s incredible contribution to medicine.
“At this same time, the family learned about the innovations and resulting profits that were made from her tissues without their knowledge. “They were also in a situation where some of them were having difficulty accessing the healthcare that they needed, and that felt very unfair. The world was making profits off of their mother's cells or their grandmother's cells, and they were struggling to get healthcare,” Christine Grady said. (bioethicist at Georgetown University) In response, the family filed multiple lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for improperly profiting from her cells.”
The Scientist https://www.the-scientist.com/the-hela-lawsuit-is-over-the-ethics-fight-over-human-tissue-rights-isn-t-74832
Informed consent laws have been put into place to prevent this from happening again. Hopefully.
Sources
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks
