Henrietta Lacks was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells -- taken without her knowledge -- became one of the most important tools in medicine.
The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, her cells -- known as "HeLa cells" -- are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years.
If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they'd weigh more than 50 million metric tons -- as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.
Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. And though her cells launched a multimillion-dollar selling human biological materials, her family -- who often can't even afford health insurance -- never saw any of the profits.
In her new book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," author Rebecca Skloot tells the story of Henrietta, her amazing cells, and the family she left behind.
Posted By: Cynthia Merrill Artis
Sunday, August 28th 2011 at 11:28PM
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