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The Story of Henrietta Lacks and Her “Immortal Cells”

Writer: FibonacciMD
FibonacciMD
10 minutes ago
7 min read

Microscopic view of HeLa cells stained blue 
Microscopic view of HeLa cells stained blue 

This is the story of a woman with cervical cancer whose cells sparked a revolution in biomedical research, resulting in more than 110,000 scientific publications referring to her cell line.  Her story also highlights racial and financial inequities, as well as the paternalistic attitudes prevalent in mid-20th-century medicine.


Henrietta Lacks, born Loretta Pleasant in 1920 in Roanoke, Virginia, worked as a tobacco farmer, as did many members of her family.  In 1951, she felt “a knot” in her abdomen during pregnancy and experienced severe bleeding after giving birth.  She was referred to Dr. Howard Jones at Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the few major hospitals in Baltimore at that time that provided medical care to Black patients. There, a biopsy of a mass on her cervix revealed a malignant tumor.  She died on October 4, 1951, at age 31, from metastatic cervical cancer despite receiving radium therapy.

 

The HeLa Cell Line

Without her knowledge or consent, tissue samples taken during the biopsy were given to Dr. George Otto Gey, a cancer researcher at Johns Hopkins.  Gey discovered that, unlike typical human cells with a limited lifespan of several days, Henrietta’s cells continued to grow and divide.  He isolated a single cell line from the tumor cells and allowed it to multiply.  He named this “immortal” cell line HeLa, using the first two letters of Henrietta’s first and last names.  When reporters began seeking information about the woman whose cells had produced HeLa, Gey used the pseudonym “Helen Lane,” apparently to protect her identity from the media.  Her true identity became known in scientific circles during the 1970s and was later revealed publicly.


HeLa cells became critically important to biomedical research because they were the first human cells found that could be cultured and maintained indefinitely in a laboratory.  They also grew rapidly, could be shipped safely to laboratories around the world, and could be used to conduct experiments without exposing human subjects to experimental agents.  The impact was immense and between 1953 to 2018, more than 110,000 scientific publications cited use of HeLa cells.  Additionally, more than 11,000 patents have involved HeLa cells.  The HeLa cell line has also generated substantial commercial revenue for companies that have produced and sold products derived from the cells.


Within a few years, HeLa cells were used in research supporting the development and testing of the polio vaccine, including large-scale testing of the vaccine’s effects on cells. HeLa cells were subsequently used to study an expanding range of diseases and biological processes, including cancer, infectious diseases, and neurologic disorders.  Researchers also used the cells to study genetic disease and evaluate the effects of radiation on human cells. They also contributed to advances in areas such as in vitro fertilization, cloning, and genetic mapping.  Henrietta Lacks’s cancer cells dramatically transformed biomedical research in the 20th century.


The Lacks Family 

For decades, Henrietta's family had no knowledge of her cell line's global importance or that her tissue had been taken without her consent, while corporations generated significant revenue from products derived from the cells.  In 1973, researchers contacted members of the family to obtain blood samples for genetic research.  The family agreed to provide blood samples, reportedly believing they were being screened for cancer.  It was only later that year that they discovered the existence of the HeLa cell line.  Bobbette Lacks, Henrietta's daughter-in-law, was having dinner with a friend whose husband happened to be a cancer researcher using HeLa cells.  He recognized the family name and made the connection between Bobbette and the HeLa cell line.  After dinner, Bobbette reportedly rushed home and told Henrietta’s son Lawrence, “Part of your mother, it’s alive!” 


Legal Actions and Legislation 

  • 2010: The publication of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks brought national attention to the issues of patient rights and informed consent and highlighted the need for stronger protection for patients.  

  • 2013: Researchers published the genomic sequence of a HeLa cell line without prior consent from the Lacks family.  Because the genome contained genetic information that could have implications for Lacks’s living descendants, its publication raised significant privacy concerns, and the data were removed from public view.  This controversy led to a landmark agreement between the Lacks family and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  The agreement established a special NIH review process for access to HeLa whole-genome sequence data, with members of the Lacks family participating in the review process.

  • 2019: To honor her legacy, the U.S. Congress introduced the Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act to study barriers to participation in federally funded cancer clinical trials by minority populations traditionally underrepresented in such trials.  The bill was enacted in 2021. 

  • 2021-2023: The Lacks family argued that the taking and use of Henrietta’s cells without consent reflected a broader history of racial inequities and exploitation in U.S. medical research, and this argument became part of the basis for subsequent legal action.  Thermo Fisher Scientific, a company with tens of billions in annual revenue, sells 12 products containing the HeLa line to laboratories around the world.  The estate of Henrietta Lacks filed suit in 2021 against the company and reached a confidential settlement in 2023.  

  • 2026: Henrietta’s estate reached a confidential settlement with Novartis after suing for profits generated from commercializing the use of HeLa cells obtained without her consent.


The Problem of HeLa Contamination 

Unfortunately, fast-growing HeLa cells became so ubiquitous that they contributed to widespread cross-contamination of other cell lines used in research.  Reportedly, in one study, 12% of other human cell lines used by researchers were contaminated with HeLa. This contamination has led to misidentified cell lines and potentially erroneous or misleading research findings.  The problem has prompted widespread adoption of cell-line authentication methods to verify the identity of cultured cells.


Summary

Henrietta Lacks’s tragic cancer diagnosis and the remarkable properties of her cancer cells led to a discovery that revolutionized biomedical research and contributed to numerous treatments and scientific advances.  However, her cells were taken without her knowledge or consent, and her identity was initially concealed using a pseudonym.  Her true identity eventually became known, and after a fortuitous dinner conversation, her family learned that her cells were still alive and being used in research.  


Today, the ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of Henrietta's cells without her approval have been partially addressed.  Lacks’s descendants have a role in overseeing access to HeLa whole-genome sequence data, alongside legal settlements with some commercial entities.  Increased public knowledge of what happened to Henrietta Lacks contributed to a national discussion that helped shape ongoing efforts to strengthen informed consent practices and protect patient rights.  The HeLa cell line remains one of the most important biomedical research tools in use.  Through the enduring legacy of her cell line, Henrietta Lacks has, in many ways, become "immortal."


(Author’s Note: Photographs of Henrietta Lacks are copyrighted and therefore were not included in this article. Photographs of her are available through various online sources and can be found by searching her name.)


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