The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

   In 2010, author Rebecca Skloot released her first book. This non-fiction book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks and how her cells have contributed to medical research and breakthrough, starting in 1951, the year Henrietta died and the cells were discovered. The book is known for its great science writing and talk of ethical issues of race and class in medical research (Wikipedia).

Family

   Although the legendary cell has sparked a multi million dollar industry, members of the Lacks family didn't realize until over 20 years after Henrietta's death that the immortal cell belonged to her. And the worst part is, no member of the Lacks family received any profits. This created controversy among the family ultimately leading to a lawsuit.

Using HeLa in Medicine

   HeLa has been widely used in medical research and vaccines. The cells were used to test the first polio vaccine in the 1950's by medical researcher Jonas Salk. They have also been used in research for large-scale illnesses such as cancer, AIDS and various harmful viruses.

Who exactly is George Otto Gey?

George Otto Gey was born in 1899 and died in 1970. George and his wife, Margaret, started the Tissue Culture Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University in the 1950's. It was they who propogated the HeLa cell line.

Life of Henrietta Lacks

   African-American woman Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920 in Roanoke, Virginia. Her birth name is Loretta Pleasant. After her mother Eliza passed away during the birth of her tenth child, her father moved his ten children to another part of the state where they were all dispersed among relatives. Henrietta "Hennie" was raised by her grandfather, Tommy Lacks. She married her cousin David Lacks, and their first child was born when Henrietta was 14 years old.
   Henrietta Lacks passed away in 1951 due to a cancerous tumor in her cervix. It was the cells from her cervix that lead George Otto Gey to research and discover the HeLa cell line.

The Immortal HeLa Cell Line

Biotechniques.com

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom - Incertae Sedis

Phylum - Incertae Sedis

Class - Incertae Sedis

Order - Incertae Sedis

Family - Helacytidae

Genus - Helacyton

Species - H. Gartleri