In 1951, a young Black mother named Henrietta Lacks unknowingly changed the course of medical history.
While seeking treatment for cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, doctors took a sample of her cells without her consent—a practice that was common at the time.
Unlike other cells, which quickly died outside the human body, Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours, making them the first-ever immortal human cell line used in research.
Now known as HeLa cells, they have played a crucial role in modern medicine, contributing to cancer research, vaccine development (including polio and COVID-19), gene mapping, and countless other medical breakthroughs.
The Scientific Impact of HeLa Cells
Henrietta Lacks’ cells have helped scientists:
- Develop vaccines, including the polio and COVID-19 vaccines
- Understand cancer growth by studying how HeLa cells react to toxins, drugs, and viruses
- Advance genetics research, including mapping the human genome
- Improve treatments for diseases like AIDS, Parkinson’s, and leukemia
Ethical Questions and the Fight for Recognition
Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group LLC.
While HeLa cells became a foundation for modern medicine, Lacks and her family were never informed or compensated for their use.
The unethical collection and distribution of her cells sparked ongoing conversations about medical ethics, patient consent, and racial disparities in healthcare.
Johns Hopkins has since acknowledged that while the practice was legal in the 1950s, more should have been done to inform and support Lacks’ family.
Over the decades, laws have evolved to better protect patients, and the Lacks family has fought for their matriarch’s legacy to be properly honored.
Honoring Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks passed away on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31, but her legacy endures. Johns Hopkins and other institutions now work to honor her contributions while ensuring ethical practices in scientific research.
Her story has led to greater protections for research subjects, including stricter informed consent laws and increased awareness of racial and economic disparities in medical research.
From lifesaving vaccines to groundbreaking genetic discoveries, the world continues to benefit from Henrietta Lacks’ immortal cells—a legacy of scientific progress that started with one woman’s unwitting sacrifice.
