Guest Commentary: Henrietta Lacks - A Thought-Provoking Case

Martha C. Romney, MS, JD, MPH
Project Director
Jefferson School of Population Health

On Monday, February 15th, the Kimmel Cancer Center hosted Ms. Rebecca Skloot to discuss her new book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" at its Grand Rounds. The story of Ms. Lacks' contribution to research is remarkable. The associated ethical questions are equally notable.

So who was Ms. Henrietta Lacks? Ms. Lacks, born in 1920, is described as a "poor and illiterate" tobacco farmer in Virginia. She died at age 31 from cervical cancer, leaving behind 5 children. During the course of her treatment, her cancerous cervical cells were harvested for research without her knowledge. Ms. Lacks' cells, subsequently identified as "HeLa" cells, multiplied prolifically and were easily cultured in laboratories, enabling scientists to use them for research on many different medical issues. HeLa cells have been sold around the globe for decades.

HeLa cells have been used in more than 60,000 medical and scientific studies, contributing to the development of the polio vaccine, and our knowledge about chemotherapy, gene mapping, Parkinson's disease, and AIDS, as well as nuclear and space research.

However, while HeLa cells have been used to develop treatments to help people around the world, Ms. Lack's family was unaware of the significance of the HeLa cells to research until two decades after her death, and lives today in poverty and without health insurance.

The case raises significant issues around informed consent, ownership of bodily tissue, financial compensation, communication and public education, and access to health care.