Henrietta Lacks, during her lifetime (1920 – 1951) an ordinary person, would be amazed today to learn that she was included in a list of people with a significant impact on the world. Henrietta, a Virginia tobacco farmer from a financially challenged African-American family, died at age 31 of cervical cancer.
Without the family’s knowledge or consent, while she was still under treatment, surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital harvested cells from her tumor, the cells becoming the basis for the first “immortal human cell line” HeLa (Henrietta Lacks). They exhibited an amazing ability to divide and grow rapidly, doubling in number every 20-24 hours, a unique and invaluable feature for scientific experiments and medical discoveries.
Researchers have been able to use these cells to study various diseases, test treatments and develop vaccines. They have become an essential tool in the fight against cancer, as well as in the exploration of countless other medical conditions.
In 1952, HeLa cells were used by virologist Jonas Salk to test the polio vaccine, which protected millions of people around the world. Later, HeLa cells, essential in advancing the understanding of cell biology, genetics, virology and pharmacology, played a vital role in the development of treatments for other diseases such as leukemia, influenza and Parkinson’s disease. The cells have been used to test the effects of radiation, toxins and drugs, contributing to the development of chemotherapy and other therapies, and have also been used in the development of in vitro fertilization.
Before HeLa cells were discovered, keeping human cells alive in the laboratory was a laborious and time-consuming process. Cells often died or were contaminated, hindering scientific progress. HeLa cells’ unique ability to replicate indefinitely provided researchers with a constant and readily available supply of human cells, an important discovery that freed scientists from the constraints of cell maintenance, allowing them to focus more on conducting experiments and making new discoveries.
The amount of HeLa cells that have been cultured and used in scientific research is staggering. Over the decades since their discovery, it is estimated that the cumulative volume of HeLa cells produced for experiments and studies is immense, so that if all these cells were collected and combined, they would form a mass that would exceed that of 100 Empire State Buildings, and would be long enough to circle the Equator three times.
Returning to the story of Henrietta Lacks, after the birth of her fifth child in 1951, Henrietta was admitted to the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, which was next door to her home and the only place where black patients were treated. Just a few months after being hospitalized, Henrietta died on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31, due to complications from cancer. The young woman’s death went largely unnoticed beyond her family and circle of friends, but the important step that led to the development of medicine and revolutionized science was made possible by the fact that during her hospitalization, the doctors who had her under supervision, at the head with George Otto Gey, an American researcher and physician specializing in cell culture, obtained a tissue sample, soon realizing that, unlike ordinary cells, Henrietta’s cells did not die after a few days; instead, they continued to multiply, doubling in number every 20-24 hours.
This phenomenon is due to a process called “cellular immortalization”. Normally, human cells have a limit to the number of divisions they can perform, known as the Hayflick limit. After a finite number of divisions, cells enter a stage of senescence or cell death. But nevertheless, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, called HeLa, had a genetic mutation that led to their immortality. This mutation affected genes that control the cell cycle, allowing cells to divide continuously without entering the senescence stage. Therefore, HeLa became the first human cell line that could be cultured and propagated in the laboratory in perpetuity. While the genetic mutation is believed to have played a key role in this process, the exact mechanisms by which this mutation allowed HeLa cells to avoid senescence and multiply at such a rapid rate remain the subject of research.
The unique ability of HeLa cells to multiply rapidly and be available in unlimited quantities has revolutionized medical research, leading to a wide range of experiments and studies not previously possible. Researchers have been able to study cellular and molecular processes in greater detail, test the effectiveness of drugs, and develop vaccines and treatments for various conditions, including polio.
Dr. George Gey and his team had previously made numerous attempts to grow and culture human cells outside the human body before the discovery of HeLa cells, but without success. The resulting cells died or entered senescence after a limited number of divisions.
HeLa cells show no signs of mortality although, paradoxically, Henrietta Lacks herself died of a malignant tumor on her cervix just a few months after being hospitalized. Yet her death, accidental or not, would save millions of lives. It wasn’t until 2010 that Henrietta’s previously unmarked grave was finally commemorated with a headstone.
For many years, the true identity of the source of the HeLa cells remained largely unknown outside the scientific community, but starting in the 1970s, Henrietta’s name became widely associated with the cells. Journalist Rebecca Skloot also played an important role in bringing Henrietta’s story to light in her 2010 book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, helping to popularize Henrietta’s life, contributions to science and the ethical implications of using his cells.
In recognition of her immense impact, Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with the Lacks family, established the Henrietta Lacks Foundation in 2010 to promote and support biomedical research while ensuring that individuals and communities they are treated with dignity and respect in the pursuit of scientific progress.
The Henrietta Lacks case raised important ethical questions regarding informed consent and the use of human tissue in research. At the time her cells were taken, there were no regulations or guidelines to protect patients’ rights over their biological samples. This has sparked discussions and reforms in medical ethics, leading to improvements in patient consent and privacy rights.
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