Henrietta Lacks | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lacks c. 1945–1951.[A] | |
| Born | Loretta Pleasant August 1, 1920 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 1951 (aged 31) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cervical cancer |
| Monuments | Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School; historical marker at Clover, Virginia |
| Occupations | |
| Height | approx. 5 ft (150 cm)[4] |
| Spouse |
David Lacks (m. 1941) |
| Children | 5 |
Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951)[2] was an African-American woman[5] whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized human cell line[B] and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line reproduces indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day.[7]
Lacks was the unwitting source of these cells from a tumor biopsied during treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1951. These cells were then cultured by George Otto Gey, who created the cell line known as HeLa, which is still used for medical research.[8] As was then the practice, no consent was required to culture the cells obtained from Lacks's treatment. Neither she nor her family were compensated for the extraction or use of the HeLa cells.
Even though some information about the origins of HeLa's immortalized cell lines was known to researchers after 1970, the Lacks family was not made aware of the line's existence until 1975. With knowledge of the cell line's genetic provenance becoming public, its use for medical research and for commercial purposes continues to raise concerns about privacy and patients' rights.
- ^ Skloot 2010, p. 1.
- ^ a b Batts, Denise Watson (May 10, 2010). "Cancer cells killed Henrietta Lacks – then made her immortal". The Virginian-Pilot. pp. 1, 12–14. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2021. Note: Some sources report her birthday as August 2, 1920, vs. August 1, 1920.
- ^ Skloot 2010, p. 16.
- ^ Skloot 2010, p. 2.
- ^ Butanis, Benjamin. "The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks". Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ Hayflick, Leonard (March 4, 2010). "Myth-busting about first mass-produced human cell line". Nature. 464 (7285): 30. Bibcode:2010Natur.464...30H. doi:10.1038/464030d.
- ^ Zielinski, Sarah (January 2, 2010). "Cracking the Code of the Human Genome. Henrietta Lacks' 'Immortal' Cells". Smithsonian. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
- ^ Grady, Denise (February 1, 2010). "A Lasting Gift to Medicine That Wasn't Really a Gift". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
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