Henrietta Lacks: The Woman Behind The Immortal Cells That Changed The World of Medicine
Dec 17, 2022 | Written By Sophia Mai
Henrietta Lacks was a Black woman whose cells, taken without her knowledge or consent, became one of the most important tools in medical research. The story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, known as the HeLa cell line, is a complex one that highlights issues of race, ethics, and informed consent in medical research.
What Is The HeLa Cell Line?
HeLa is a shortened form of the name Henrietta Lacks. HeLa cells are a type of immortal cell line that was derived from the cervical cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks in 1951. These cells were taken from Henrietta without her knowledge or consent and were used for research purposes.
Professors at the time were in the process of making an immortal cell line that could reproduce indefinitely. The purpose of this was to have cells with the same parameters such as DNA to study the effects of different variables such as medication without having to account for the variation that might occur when testing a variable on multiple cells with different characteristics/DNA. An immortal cell line would also allow scientists to study the growth and behavior of cells over an extended period of time. Many professors attempted to create an indefinitely producing line of cells, but many of the attempts failed. The discovery of HeLa cells was a huge breakthrough because they are able to grow and divide indefinitely in the laboratory. This makes them a valuable resource for researchers studying cancer and other diseases. HeLa cells have been used in a wide range of medical and scientific studies, including the development of the polio vaccine and the study of the human genome.
However, the use of HeLa cells has also been controversial because they were taken without Henrietta Lacks' consent, and her family was not informed about their use until years later. Companies began profiting off of her cells, selling them to scientists around the world. This has led to debates about informed consent and the ethical use of human subjects in research.
Background and Her Story:
Henrietta Lacks was a black woman who was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1920. She was the daughter of tobacco farmers and grew up in a poor, rural community. In 1951, Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. At the time, cervical cancer was a relatively rare and poorly understood disease, treatment options were limited, and John Hopkins was one of the few medical hospitals that accepted black patients.
During her treatment at Johns Hopkins, Henrietta's cancer cells were taken without her knowledge or consent and used for research purposes. It was in this laboratory that Henrietta's cells were first cultured, or grown in a dish. Unlike other cells that had been cultured before, Henrietta's cells were unique in that they were able to survive and continue dividing outside of the body. This was a major scientific breakthrough and the HeLa cell line, as it became known, quickly became the most widely used human cell line in medical research. These cells were incredibly valuable because they were a valuable resource for researchers studying cancer and other diseases.
However, Henrietta's cells were taken and used without her consent, and she and her family were not informed about their use until years later. This led to a number of ethical issues, including the fact that Henrietta and her family were not compensated for the use of her cells.
In the years following Henrietta's death, her cells became a valuable resource for researchers around the world and were used in a wide range of medical and scientific studies. However, the story of Henrietta Lacks and the ethical issues surrounding her cells has sparked debates about informed consent and the use of human subjects in research.
Connections to Current events:
There is a connection between the ethics of the Henrietta Lacks case and the Chinese CRISPR experiment with twins in that both involve ethical concerns related to the use of human subjects in research and the potential consequences of such research.
In the case of Henrietta Lacks, there were ethical concerns raised about the use of her cells for research without her knowledge or consent. Her cells were taken during a biopsy and were later found to be unusually durable and capable of reproducing indefinitely. They were used extensively in scientific research, including the development of many modern-day medicines and treatments, without the knowledge or consent of Lacks or her family. This raised ethical concerns about informed consent, respect for persons, and the rights of research subjects.
The Chinese CRISPR experiment with twins, which took place in 2018, involved the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool to modify the genes of twin girls in an attempt to make them resistant to HIV. The experiment was widely condemned as unethical due to concerns about the long-term health effects of the gene editing on the twins, the lack of transparency surrounding the research, and the lack of informed consent from the twins or their parents. The experiment raised similar ethical concerns to those raised in the Henrietta Lacks case, including concerns about informed consent, respect for persons, and the rights of research subjects.
The interview, titled "CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life," between Terry Gross and Walter Isaacson, an American author and professor, discussed and gave insights on the potential uses and the devastating consequences of the misuse of CRISPR technology. CRISPR is a method for gene editing that can change an individual's genes by "cutting" a section of a gene out and replacing it with a corrected or desired gene for a specific function. This technology is currently being used to treat sickle cell anemia, certain types of cancers, and diseases that might be difficult to cure using conventional methods. However, an experiment using CRISPR done by a Chinese scientist on the embryos of twins brings up important ethical questions regarding the misuse of CRISPR on uninformed individuals; edits affecting the germline or future generations; and the uncertainty of the intended and unintended consequences of editing germline cells "that will not only affect a patient but also affect the entire human species and all their descendants" ("CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life"). The moral conflict surrounding CRISPR connects to Henrietta because she was uninformed about what scientists were doing with her tumor, who, at the time, took advantage of the cells to make strides in the scientific community such as medicines. Similar to the twin experiment, the twins' lives are being used to test changes to the human genome and the possible consequences of germline editing involuntarily. These situations raise the question of whether using the lives of individuals without consent for the betterment of society is morally right or necessary.
Both the Henrietta Lacks case and the Chinese CRISPR experiment with twins illustrate the importance of ethical considerations in research involving human subjects, and the need for researchers to ensure that such research is conducted in a responsible and transparent manner.
Ethical Concerns:
Henrietta Lacks was a woman whose cells, taken without her knowledge or consent, were used for medical research. This raises several ethical concerns, including:
Informed consent: Henrietta Lacks did not give her consent for the use of her cells for research purposes. This raises concerns about the ethical principles of autonomy and respect for persons, which require that individuals be informed about the nature of any medical procedures or research and be given the opportunity to make their own decisions about whether to participate.
Privacy: Henrietta Lacks' cells were taken without her knowledge or consent, and her medical information was used for research without her permission. This raises concerns about the ethical principle of privacy, which requires that individuals' personal information be kept confidential and protected from unauthorized use or disclosure.
Exploitation: Henrietta Lacks' cells were used for medical research without her knowledge or consent, and her family was not compensated for the use of her cells. This raises concerns about the ethical principle of justice, which requires that individuals be treated fairly and not exploited for the benefit of others.
Access to medical care: Henrietta Lacks did not have access to the medical care and treatment that might have saved her life. This raises concerns about the ethical principle of non-maleficence, which requires that individuals be protected from harm and that medical care be provided in a timely and appropriate manner.
Research on vulnerable populations: Henrietta Lacks was a poor, African American woman who may have been more vulnerable to exploitation and less able to advocate for her own rights. This raises concerns about the ethical principle of beneficence, which requires that research be conducted in a way that maximizes benefits and minimizes harm, and that special attention is paid to the needs and interests of vulnerable populations.
Henrietta's situation raises the question of whether using the lives of individuals without consent for the betterment of society is morally right or necessary. While ethical protocol at this time was not as developed as it is today, protecting the rights of patients and their privacy is necessary, even if taking risks to possibly harm a patient had the potential of saving others. The possibility of groundbreaking discoveries should not revoke a patient's right to reliable healthcare and privacy.
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Works Cited
Butanis, Benjamin. "The Legacy Of Henrietta Lacks". Hopkinsmedicine.Org, 2022, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/.
"CRISPR Scientist's Biography Explores Ethics Of Rewriting The Code Of Life". NPR.Org, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/974751834.
"Henrietta Lacks: Ethics and the Immortal Cell Line." YouTube, uploaded by The Bioethics Project, 18 Feb. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22lGbAVWhro.
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Random House, 2010.