HeLa Cells

Henrietta Lacks Moved from the south to Baltimore when she was 23 Married Had 5 children

Problem February,1951- she discovered vaginal bleeding/spotting – went to hospital Howard Jones, a Hopkins physician, found a smooth eggplant-hued tumor on Henrietta's cervix. Jones carefully cut a section of her quarter-sized tumor, sent it to the lab for a diagnosis.T The tumor was malignant.

Henrietta returned to Hopkins for radiation treatment But before applying the first treatment, a resident took one more sample of the tumor. ◦ This one went to George Gey, head of tissue culture research at Hopkins.

Gey was looking for cancer cells to research. Found that Henrietta’s cells multiplied like nothing anyone had seen. ◦ Latching to the sides of test tubes, consumed the medium around them, and within days, the thin film of cells grew thicker and thicker.

Gey named the cells HeLa cells after Henrietta. Cells were used to help find a cure for polio. Gey also shipped cells to other researchers for study. – all over the world Cells were used to search for a leukemia cure and the cause of cancer, to study viral growth, protein synthesis, genetic control mechanisms, and the unknown effects of drugs and radiation.

During this time, Henrietta died. Cancer spread to the rest of her body October 1951, she died Her family knew nothing of the cells or the research that was occurring.

Henrietta’s daughter-in-law happened to find out about the cells at a party from a researcher. Family has not/did not receive any monetary money from the cells. Cells are still used today. Story shows how research was performed with a lack of patient consent. Two issues: 1.Patients Rights 2. Need for research and patient tissue

HeLa Cells with different stains.

Chromosome Spread Normal Aneuploid HeLa 46 >46