Henrietta Lacks, The woman who never died.

In January 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a 30-year-old mother of 5, from Baltimore, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital.
There was no treatment available then. She died in October at the age of 31. Before her death, samples of her cancerous cells were taken. Of course, she was never asked. But the word ‘informed consent’ had not been coined by then.

For years, Cell biologist Dr. Gey and his wife Margaret (a trained surgical nurse) had been collecting cells from all patients who came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital. For years, Doctor Gey had been trying to grow human cells in his lab. But they would die after two or three cycles. Immortality was an enigma. That is, until they received the Henrietta’s tumour sample. Where other cells would die, Mrs. Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours.
It was one of the most aggressive cancer cells.

Their lab assistant promptly labeled the cell lines as ‘HeLa‘, the first two letters of the patient’s first and last name as per the rules.

These HeLa cells simply refused to die, meaning they will divide again and again and again… and, even today they are doubling every 24 hours in all the labs world over wherever cell manipulation is being tried. The number of cells that Henrietta owns today would be enormous. They can circle the earth 3 to 4 times. The number of benefits mankind has derived from them even long after Henrietta ceased to exist are equally enormous.
…

 • In 1950s Dr Jonas Salk was developing a vaccine against Poliovirus. He needed a living cell line to test the vaccine before human trial. Dr Gey shared him a vial of HeLa cells which Jonas Salk used to test the first polio vaccine. Today Polio is eradicated.
 • The human cervical cancer vaccine that we use today was developed from this cell line and won a nobel prize.
 • In 1953, an accident helped count the chromosomes of one hela cells. Prior to that people didn’t know that we have 23 pairs of chromosome.

Hela cells helped study and develop vaccines of ZIKA, HIV viruses.

They are the earliest and only living human cells inside a laboratory that offers a ready-to-use and stable cellular in vitro models for gene engineering, vaccine testing, Drug safety, laboratory pre testing of anything that you would be injected in live humans.

HeLa cells have been pivotal in all the discoveries related to polio, cancer, cell biology.

Controversy:

The hela cells are so aggressive in living that they would contaminate any other cells present in laboratories. So in 1970, some perplexed gene people rang up the children of Henrietta to come for gene matching of those contaminating cells.

It was news for the family. That some of their family cells are being used in so many labs. A legal issue started.

Investigation into immortality.

As usually Hela cells are primary target for looking into causes of their immortality. That led to discovery of a new enzyme. The telomerase. This enzyme used to set the life clock of these cells back so that like the proverbial Yayati of hindu mythology they would regain their youth again and again. Cells wouldn’t grow old and die.
Today the telomerase is the new epicenter in all our research into aging.

Although Mrs. Lacks ultimately passed away on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31, her cells continue to impact the world.

A women of just over five feet in stature had produced a cell line estimated to weigh 50 million metric tons. And the value of innumerable live products starting from polio vaccine, cervical cancer vaccine to other cancer drugs available in market today is mind boggling.

A woman whose cells simply refused to die .