HeLa Cells: Cells of a Black woman who died of Cancer 70 years ago, still saves millions of lives!
Zee News
Body cells of an African American woman Henrieta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in October 1951 have been responsible for multiple life saving medical breakthroughs like polio vaccine, HPV vaccine and even COVID-19 vaccine.
New Delhi: Cells of Henrietta Lacks - popularly known as ‘HeLa cells’ in the medical community, are responsible for various important medical breakthroughs including polio vaccine, cervical cancer or Human Papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine and genetic mapping. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who died of cervical cancer on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31 at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
The John Hopkins hospital took out tissues from her body without her consent, leading to the development of the first ‘immortal line’ of human cells to divide indefinitely in a laboratory. Henrietta Lacks or HeLa cells have been instrumental in the development of various life-saving medical breakthroughs like the development of the polio vaccine and drugs for HIV/AIDS, haemophilia, leukaemia, and Parkinson’s disease. HeLa cells have also been vital in the development of breakthroughs in reproductive health, including in vitro fertilisation.
On October 13, the 70 th death anniversary of Henrietta, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the contribution that ‘HeLa’ cells have had in saving millions of lives and also address the “historic wrong” done by not taking Henrietta’s consent before using her cells and also further wrong done by hiding her identity.
