HeLa

author reveals a real-life story about the life of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who was diagnosed with a fast-growing cervical cancer at a very young age. The cells retrieved from her cervical tumor, later termed “HeLa”, became the first immortal cell that could survive in the lab and replicate continuously without dying. These cells later became key components to the development of many groundbreaking inventions such as the polio vaccine and in vitro…

durations of time. In 1951, medicine received a significant boost derived from the discovery of the first immortal cell, which was discovered using a sample tissue acquired from a woman suffering from cervical cancer. The immortal cells were later renamed HeLa cells, which have since become an essential tool in medical research.…

The Ethical Reflection of Henrietta Lack’s Story On October 4, 1951, a lady by the name of Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer and her cells were acquired for the purpose of research. Dr. Guy, director, and researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital went onto live television proposing to the public that he had found a means to eradicate cancer through a recent study of cancerous cells (Curtis, 2012). It was clear that medical research had begun to soar, but the balance between the exploration of…

during their lifespan. A person who played a significant role in Henrietta’s Legacy was her daughter, Deborah Lacks. Lacks traveled throughout the country to learn about her mother’s contributions to science. Scientists advanced the research on HeLa cells, refined the public’s knowledge her mother, and displayed the racial prejudice towards black people in hospitals. As the fourth child of Henrietta Lacks, there was a trait in Deborah that differed from her siblings: she cared about what…

HeLa was vital to cloning research, counting the number of chromosomes in a human cell, and the polio vaccine. HeLa refers to a cell line that given a endless supply of nutrients can divide forever. In this way, they are considered to be “immortal.” These cells are so prominently used in scientific research that if lined up, HeLa cells would circle the Earth more than three times. But where did these cells come from? They came from a tumor on the cervix of a black woman in the 1950s, Henrietta…

not live outside the body. Henrietta’s cells soon showed to be different, they survived and actually grew at exponential speed, which was truly a miracle. Henrietta however died shortly after the biopsies were taken. The cells would soon be named HeLa cells after Henrietta Lacks and would be used in over 74,000 studies. They have helped in the study of biology, helped with important vaccines, and the study of cancer. These cells are so strong that they can be evasive to other cell samples and…

At this time, without informing to the Lacks’ Family, Dr. Gey announced on national television that he had produced from Ms. Lacks’ tumor a line of cells that propagated as no other cells ever had before. He called them HeLa’ cells in her honor, and showed a vial of the cells to the television audience. According the Henrietta cell site, it states that “Even when Gey found out that the owner of the immortal cell is Henrietta, he did not publicly announce her name. It is…

Before reading this book, I knew a lot already about the HeLa cells and what kind of scientific advancements came from them. But, even though I knew a lot about HeLa, I didn’t know much about Henrietta Lacks. It demonstrates that behind a lot of our scientific advancements, there’s a real person who made that happen. Especially in Henrietta’s case, where she was…

“No dead woman has done more for the living.” Hilary Mantel. On August 1, 1920 an unknowingly important person was born. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, or as most know her as HeLa; the line of cells created with the tumor cells from her body. Over sixty years ago, very important cells were extracted from a patient without their knowledge at the John Hopkins Hospital for black patients. A man named Gey stole some samples of the woman’s tumor in order to use them and attempt to grow them in a lab.…

During the mid 16th century, discrimination and social partition were known to a part of the common society. The book, The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, illustrates the life of a lady in that era, where she is strong and intelligent. She is one hero to discover new medicines and information for epidemics, like polio and virology, with her cells. However, her help in medical history is and still remains unnoticed by the majority due to their past history of discrimination and racism in the…