Henrietta Lacks: immortal cells taken without her consent
HeLa cells: the immortality Henrietta Lacks never authorized in 1951 still powers a multi-billion-dollar scientific industry.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Henrietta Lacks: the immortal woman who never gave permission
On February 8, 1951, a biopsy for cervical cancer changed the history of medicine. The patient, Henrietta Lacks, was never told. Her cells became the first immortal cell line, the famous HeLa cells, still used in laboratories around the world today.
George Otto Gey, the doctor who cultured them, found that the sample would not die. He distributed it throughout the scientific community without Lacks's consent; she died on October 4 of that year. Since then, HeLa cells have been used in almost every laboratory experiment: they are the standard material for studying diseases, drugs and cell biology.
The case has left an unresolved question: who owns the human body when science turns it into a resource? The Lacks family is still waiting for an answer, while the cells continue to multiply, witnesses to a pogre that never asked for permission.
On February 8, 1951, a biopsy for cervical cancer changed the history of medicine. The patient, Henrietta Lacks, was never told. Her cells became the first immortal cell line, the famous HeLa cells, still used in laboratories around the world today.
George Otto Gey, the doctor who cultured them, found that the sample would not die. He distributed it throughout the scientific community without Lacks's consent; she died on October 4 of that year. Since then, HeLa cells have been used in almost every laboratory experiment: they are the standard material for studying diseases, drugs and cell biology.
The case has left an unresolved question: who owns the human body when science turns it into a resource? The Lacks family is still waiting for an answer, while the cells continue to multiply, witnesses to a pogre that never asked for permission.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (15 replies).
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