Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists around the world know her as “HeLa.” Beneath this abbreviation, labeled on millions of vials across the planet, lies the miraculous chemistry that has contributed to the development of treatments for leukemia, hemophilia, influenza, polio and even, recently, Covid-19. “The first time I heard about it was during a medical ethics course, without any details on the names of the cells or from whom they had been taken. It was only recently that I learned of its origin. remembers Sarah Sadik, doctoral student in biophysics at the Institut Curie, whom we interviewed.
Why is the name of Henrietta Lacks so little known, while her cells, which have the unique distinction of being immortal, are famous throughout the world? Perhaps because they were collected without her consent during a medical examination in 1951. Perhaps also because they came from a penniless African-American woman, at a time when racial segregation was the force of law in the United States.
The miraculous cells
If Henrietta Lacks went to the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (Maryland) in January 1951, it was not to advance science. This robust woman with hazel eyes is not in the habit of opening up about her misfortunes. Growing up on the tobacco plantations where her ancestors were once slaves, she gave birth to her first child at the age of 14 and a half, in February 1935. A few days before coming to the hospital, however, she noticed vaginal bleeding that was abnormal for that time of the month. Added to this alarming observation was a feeling of a “knot” in his lower stomach.
Welcomed in the section of the clinic reserved for racialized people, Henrietta Lacks is examined by gynecologist Howard Jones. After carrying out several tests and a sample, the doctor is categorical: his patient has cervical cancer. A few days later, Henrietta Lacks returned to the hospital to undergo the recommended treatment: exposure to radium, a radioactive material that was considered a miracle drug at the time. Without asking his opinion, a portion of cancer cells were also taken from him, immediately entrusted to Doctor George Gey, a pioneer in cancer research.
Shock: where the cells of other patients had withered in the Petri dishes where they were kept, those labeled “HeLa” miraculously survived. And they reproduce at a maddening rate: they have to be changed containers every twenty-four hours! Baltimore scientists quickly understood the promise of such a medical breakthrough. “This cell line is probably in most research labs that work in cell biology, even those that don’t work on this particular line”estimates Sarah Sadik. Enthusiastic, George Gey quickly mailed a vial of immortal cells to his luckiest colleagues.
Meanwhile, the radium treatment continues. In vain. On October 4, 1951, Henrietta Lacks was overcome by the illness that had been gnawing at her for several weeks. She was 31 years old. But news of his death doesn’t travel as fast as the excited word of mouth that spreads through scientific circles. HeLa cells were soon in demand: they were exposed to radiation, taken aboard the first space missions. Multiplied by millions, cells are now so numerous that they weigh more than 50 million tons!
A revolutionary step forward, but…
Unfortunately, Henrietta Lacks was never able to benefit from this fame during her lifetime, nor even her family. While HeLa cells have greatly enriched the pharmaceutical industry, the Lacks family has received little or no compensation for Henrietta’s contribution. Worse, his loved ones only learned the truth about the affair twenty-five years later, through discussions with journalists. Indeed, numerous scientific reports had already been published on HeLa cells, but most members of the Lacks family, of modest social origin, had not had the opportunity to read them, let alone understand them.
Beyond the historical significance of Henrietta Lacks’ cells, which revolutionized medical research and saved thousands of lives, her example raises important questions about ethics and consent in medicine. Should we be able to freely dispose of someone’s cells if they have the capacity to prolong the lives of others? How long do you own your own body?
Henrietta Lacks was never able to answer these questions. After her autopsy, she was returned to the family cemetery and buried in an unmarked grave in Clover, Virginia. Ironically, the cancer that killed her is also the one that keeps her alive in labs around the world. When Sarah Sadik was asked what she would have liked to say to Henrietta Lacks if she had the chance, she replied: “I am sincerely sorry that your treatment was affected by your gender or skin color. In spite of yourself, your cells allow us to better understand certain fundamental aspects of medical research.”
