Henrietta Lacks, Whose Cells Were Taken and Used In Scientific Breakthroughs, Received Posthumous Award!

February 7, 2022February 14, 2022 ruthmaxey1 454 Views african American health and fitness, african American history, african American lifestyle, American medical experiments on people of color, americans mistrust of medical industry, hela cell first immortalized cell line, henrietta lacks, people of color medical research guinea pigs, science, science research on african americans

**HENRIETTA LACKS BORN IN 1920 DIED OF CERVICAL CANCER IN 1951**

TheRoot.com, By Rachel Pilgrim, Posted February 7th 2022

While Henrietta Lacks was being treated for cervical cancer, researchers took biopsies without her consent and created the first ‘immortal’ cell line.

This undated microscope image made available by the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research shows just-divided HeLa cells. Until these cells came along, whenever human cells were put in a lab dish, they would die immediately or reproduce only a few times. Henrietta Lacks’ cells, by contrast, grew indefinitely. Photo: National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (AP)

Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer on Oct. 4, 1951, but her legacy and tumor cells still live on 70 years later.

Lacks, whose cells were taken without her consent and aided in a number of medical breakthroughs, was honored by the chief of the World Health Organization with a Director-General’s Award at a special ceremony.

“Many people have benefited from those cells. Fortunes have been made. Science has advanced. Nobel Prizes have been won, and most importantly, many lives have been saved,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who spoke to a room full of guests, including Lacks’ family, at the Geneva headquarters, according to the Associated Press. “No doubt Henrietta would have been pleased that her suffering has saved others. But the end doesn’t justify the means.”

While Lacks sought treatment for her cancer, researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore took biopsies of her tumor without her knowledge or consent. Her cells were successfully cloned and the HeLa cell line—a name derived from the first two letters of her first and last names—became the first “immortal” cell line.

HeLa has opened the door for numerous scientific breakthroughs over the years, including the development of the polio vaccine, genetic mapping, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, drugs for HIV and cancers, and most recently, the COVID-19 vaccin

However, Lacks’ cells are emblematic of the bigger issues in an unjust medical system.

“The medical technologies that were developed from this injustice have been used to perpetuate further injustice because they have not been shared equitably around the world,” Tedros said according to AP.

**HENRIETTA LACKS GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER (L)**

In a news release about the event, WHO said that as of last year, fewer than 25 percent of the world’s low-income countries and fewer than 30 percent of lower-middle-income countries had access to HPV vaccines through their national immunization programs, compared to over 85 percent of high-income countries.

Here’s more about the ceremony from the news release:

The award was received at the WHO office in Geneva by Lawrence Lacks, Mrs. Lacks’ 87-year-old son. He is one of the last living relatives who personally knew her. Mr. Lacks was accompanied by several of Henrietta Lacks’ grandchildren, great-grand children, and other family members.

“We are moved to receive this historic recognition of my mother, Henrietta Lacks – honouring who she was as a remarkable woman and the lasting impact of her HeLa cells. My mother’s contributions, once hidden, are now being rightfully honored for their global impact,” said Lawrence Lacks, Sr., Henrietta Lacks’ eldest son. “My mother was a pioneer in life, giving back to her community, helping others live a better life and caring for others. In death she continues to help the world. Her legacy lives on in us and we thank you for saying her name – Henrietta Lacks.”

WHO notes that the global scientific community once hid Henrietta Lacks’ race and her real story. They are hoping that the award and recognition can help erase some of that wrongdoing. Lacks’ story was told in the 2010 award-winning book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot, and a 2017 produced by Oprah Winfrey.

Lacks’ estate sued a U.S. biotechnology company, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. accusing it of profiting from Lacks’ cells and perpetuating racial injustice in medicine by doing so. In the release, WHO reports that more than 55 million tons of HeLa cells have been distributed around the world and used in more than 75,000 studies.