The Woman Behind HeLa Cells: Forgotten Origins

Remembering Henrietta Lacks and her Major Contributions to Science

Written by Crystal Kong and Chloe Cherng, High School Students

---

Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old Black American woman, died in 1951 from cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Although her life was cut short, her legacy lives on through the research-fueling line of cells, known as HeLa cells. During her treatment, researchers took samples of Henrietta Lacks’ tumour without her consent. Her cells were then distributed worldwide for researchers to utilize as one of the most important tools in medical research. HeLa cells have been used to study diseases such as polio and cancer, test the effects of radiation and drugs, and examine how human cells respond to space travel (Baptiste, 2022). In addition, her cells have been used for inventing medications for HIV/AIDs, in vitro fertilization, and even testing COVID-19 response effects (Ghebreyesus, 2021). Despite its widespread use and impact, many people are unaware of the origins behind HeLa cells and do not know the name of the woman from whom they came. By naming her and sharing her story, we confront the ethical violations in medical research and acknowledge the lesser-known history of Black individuals subjected to unethical experimentation in the United States.

Ethical Implications

This case raises multiple ethical violations. Henrietta Lacks’ cells were taken and used without her knowledge or permission, demonstrating a lack of informed consent, violating patient autonomy. As a Black woman in a segregated healthcare system, she was especially vulnerable to exploitation, underscoring the racial and social injustice of the time. Controversy surrounding this case and its inequities continues to highlight the injustice that prevails in modern times. Her case also highlights the ethical issue of commercialization without compensation, as companies benefited from HeLa cells while neither Henrietta nor her family received financial benefit for decades, as well as the potential breach of medical privacy affecting her descendants.

Moving Forward

Actions have been taken to help address the ethical violations in this case and to prevent similar injustices in the future. In 2023, a settlement between the Lacks family and Thermo Fisher Scientific reflected growing ethical accountability and recognition that families deserve justice when biological materials are commercially exploited. Additionally, the NIH, in partnership with the Lacks family, now requires researchers to have family permission before publishing or using sensitive genomic information, protecting family genetic privacy.

Modern research requires explicit, documented informed consent for the collection and use of human tissues, guided by ethical regulations including the Declaration of Helsinki and the U.S. Common Rule. Institutional Review Boards help further enforce these standards by reviewing human-subject research to ensure ethical standards, risk-benefit balance, and participant protection. This case is continually taught to prevent future abuses, and content across various media reinforces the importance of patient rights and ethical responsibility in biomedical research.

Conclusion

Henrietta Lacks’ story of getting her cells distributed without her consent reveals how major medical advancements continue to arise from the exploitation of vulnerable populations, highlighting the intersection of race, power, and medicine within a segregated health system. Ongoing efforts, such as NIH policy changes, show progress towards holding ethical principles and protecting genetic privacy. By remembering Henrietta Lacks, we honor the major contributions to science she has made and understand the importance of ethical standards.

---

Works Cited

Baptiste, D.-L., Caviness-Ashe, N., Josiah, N., Commodore-Mensah, Y., Arscott, J., Wilson, P. R., & Starks, S. (2022, September). Henrietta Lacks and America’s dark history of research involving African Americans. Nursing open. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9374392/ 

Minetti, E. T. (2024, September 17). Ethical challenges in medical research: Henrietta Lacks and the Hela Cell Line. AWIS. https://awis.org/resource/ethical-challenges-medical-research-henrietta-lacks-hela-cell-line/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22934638251&gbraid=0AAAAABHWQdyizE9VdXmmzBIQvI4tDdKIa&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuvTJBhCwARIsAL6DemgHRAmVKMVUM0rkIu-NdchgLXlZHNwfLL40sHgpircqYw27XZQiUVAaAlRhEALw_wcB 

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Henrietta lacks: Recognizing her legacy across the world. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/10/13/default-calendar/henrietta-lacks-recognizing-her-legacy-across-the-world