"Johns Hopkins Hospital was treating [Henrietta] Lacks for cervical cancer in 1951 when her cells were sent to a nearby tissue lab without her consent. At that lab, doctors found her cells to be unlike anyone’s they had ever seen. Instead of dying, her cells—later called HeLa cells—doubled every 20 to 24 hours.
Although Lacks died of cancer on October 4, 1951, at age 31, her cells continue to benefit the world. HeLa cells are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans. They’ve also been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, and learn more about how viruses work, playing a crucial role in the development of the polio and COVID-19 vaccines. And they have resulted in changes in bioethical standards including including informed consent, medical records privacy, and communication with tissue donors and research participants." Article continues
Although Lacks died of cancer on October 4, 1951, at age 31, her cells continue to benefit the world. HeLa cells are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans. They’ve also been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, and learn more about how viruses work, playing a crucial role in the development of the polio and COVID-19 vaccines. And they have resulted in changes in bioethical standards including including informed consent, medical records privacy, and communication with tissue donors and research participants." Article continues
I find the story of Henrietta Lacks extremely interesting. It definitely has brought light to the importance of informed consent. Of course, these acts do not just stay with the past but have current consequences. The genome of HeLa cells was published publicly which most would consider to be a violation of privacy for Lacks' descendants. NIH only recently attempted to make amends. Billions of dollars have been generated off of HeLa cells, but this has not been seen by Lacks' descendants. The Lacks' family is currently in the process of suing a biotechnology company and more companies may follow. The question remains whether they should be compensated for what some would consider one of the greatest breakthroughs of recent medical history: a human immortal cell line. Would compensation be considered justice? Retribution? And is that different from ethics?
This is an awesome post, Maria! I've seen a few of these art pieces and they are absolutely gorgeous. The Henrietta Lacks story always makes me tearful because of the grave misuse of her cells and the lack of help her doctors offered. I'm ashamed that we continue to profit off of HeLa cells, however amazing and resilient they may be. With today's technology and sequencing capabilities, shouldn't we be able to produce synthetic HeLa cells and cease using replicated ones? I remember reading that the Lacks family received some stipend in the 2000s, but it was a fraction of a fraction of what companies have made off of HeLa cells. It's heartbreaking to know that a Black woman's tragedy and cause of death has been exploited without any proper compensation.
ReplyDeleteI'd never even heard of Henrietta Lacks! This was such an interesting post, and further reading really highlighted the importance of bioethics. At the time, consent wasn't even required to harvest tissue like this, nor was it common practice from what I could find. As far as I know, consent still isn't required for tissue collection for medical operations, only tissue collected for research. The amount of profit accrued from her cells, only for her and her descendants to never see a penny of it, is baffling.
ReplyDeleteHave other HeLa-like cells still never been encountered?
ReplyDeleteI think the big ethical issue here is failure to acquire consent, and to make an effort to communicate to her family just what the proposed to do with her cells. Not sure the cells as such, though, were subject to "grave misuse"...
Of all the books I have read, I believe my favorite is The Immoral Life of Henrietta Lacks. It was truly both raw and eye-opening. I will be mentioning her in my presentation tomorrow when I discuss the "Doctor Knows Best" mindset!!
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