Henrietta Lacks ‘HeLa’ Cells Continue to be a Medical Gift

Cells of deceased cervical cancer patient, Henrietta Lacks continue to flourish in certain parts of the world.

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks passed away at the age of 31 due to cervical cancer and other complications. But prior to her death, resident doctors removed tumor cells that were studied in a laboratory.

These doctors later found out that her cells could thrive in a laboratory setting, a new discovery they never thought could be possible.

Soon after, these cells which they nicknamed 'HeLa' were being transported from Baltimore to other countries around the globe.

The 'HeLa' cells have been examined in approximately 74,000 studies and were used to posit various findings on certain fields like cell biology, cancer, vaccinations and vitro fertilization.

However, for 62 years, immediate family members of Henrietta Lacks were never asked whether or not her tumor cells can be the subject of such research.

Jeri Lacks Whye, one of Henrietta Lack's grandchildren told the Associated Press he is not satisfied with the way the matter has been handled. ""In the past, the Lacks family has been left in the dark" about research stemming from HeLa cells. Now, "we are excited to be part of the important HeLa science to come." 

One of the family's biggest concerns is their privacy. They were worried about what people can know about their genetics and up to what extent would third parties have the rights to other relevant information.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recently contacted the family and has been coordinating with them directly regarding the issue.

According to an NIH representative, Henrietta Lack's family have already reached an agreement.

The new agreement was announced on Wednesday and it was agreed that two of the family members will be part of the HeLa Genome Data Team and regular reports about new findings is also expected.

According to sources, Henrietta Lack's family will not receive any profit from the research.