Henrietta Lacks #MelenatedMysteryMonth

Henrietta Lacks

• Born August 1 1920 in Roanoke, VA
• Lacks's DNA (taken without consent) forms the source of unique cells that form the HeLa line used in modern day researchthe use of Lacks's genetic make-uphas raised numerous questions both ethical and legal, concerning the rights to an individual's genetic material and tissue
• January 9, 1951 Lacks visited Johns Hopkins Hospital to dignosis irregular abdomen pain and bleeding, where she was diagnosed with cervial cancer by Howard Jones
• During her radiation treatment doctors removed cervical samples from Lacks with her consent
• Transitioned at Johns Hopkins Hospital October 4, 1951 at the age of 31 due to cervical cancer
• After further research of Lack's cell, Dr. George Otto Gey notice the durability in Lacks's cells in comparison to other samples which only survived a few days
• Gey isolated and multiplied a specific cell, creating a cell line. He dubbed the resulting sample HeLa

• Jonas Salk created the polio vaccine with this sample creating a high demand which drastically changed the medical field; in 1955 more samples were created 
• More than ten thousand patents involving Lacks's sample have been registered. The organic samples are still used to study diseases and test human sensitivity to new products and substances
• Lacks's family had finally been made aware of the extent of Henrietta's cells in 1973, when a scientist contacted the family in search of blood samples and other genetic material contrary to the actions of the medical community previously.
• In 1998 BBC released a documentary screened an award-winning on Lacks and HeLa; Rebecca Skloot later wrote a popular book on the subject a popular book on the topic called, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
•  Organizations that benefitted from Lacks's samples have since publicly acknowledged her involvement in revolutionizing medical research
• The Lacks family has been honored at the National Foundation for Cancer Research and slo the Smithsonian
• Morgan State Univ. awarded Lacks with a posthumous degree 
• in 2010 a donated head stone was replaced Lacks's unmarked grave thanks to Dr. Roland Pattillo of Morehouse
• in 1990 California Supreme Court upheld the right to commercialize discarded tissue (Moore v. Regents of the University of California
• The Lacks family had a difficult time retaining control of the HeLa strain
•  in August 2013, an agreement between the National Institue of Health and the family 'allowed' the family acknowledgement in scientific papers and oversight of Lacks genome

Johns Hopkins Statement

In February 2010, Johns Hopkins released the following statement concerning the cervical samples that were taken from Lacks without her consent:

"Johns Hopkins Medicine sincerely acknowledges the contribution to advances in biomedical research made possible by Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells. It’s important to note that at the time the cells were taken from Mrs. Lacks’ tissue, the practice of obtaining informed consent from cell or tissue donors was essentially unknown among academic medical centers. Sixty years ago, there was no established practice of seeking permission to take tissue for scientific research purposes. The laboratory that received Mrs. Lacks’s cells had arranged many years earlier to obtain such cells from any patient diagnosed with cervical cancer as a way to learn more about a serious disease that took the lives of so many. Johns Hopkins never patented HeLa cells, nor did it sell them commercially or benefit in a direct financial way. Today, Johns Hopkins and other research-based medical centers consistently obtain consent from those asked to donate tissue or cells for scientific research."