Is it possible to live forever? The story of Henrietta Lacks.

Henrietta Lacks was an African-American tobacco farmer who got cervical cancer at the age of 30. Despite her doctors’ efforts, her case of cancer was too aggressive to control; she passed away in October 1951. But this is not the end of the story.

Scientists were trying to culture human cells

Unbeknown to her, Henrietta’s physician had sent a sample of the cervical tumor to a colleague. At the time, scientists at Johns Hopkins Hospital were trying to establish a line of human cells which would grow in a dish. This was proving to be a big problem for the Johns Hopkins scientists, as human cells do not like to grow outside of the body.

Cancer cells grow out of control

When they put a piece of Henrietta’s tumor tissue in culture, it grew extremely well: much better than all their previous failed attempts. Unlike normal cells, cancer is used to growing where it doesn’t belong. The same thing that made the cancer so aggressive to Henrietta made it a perfect candidate for growing in culture.

The HeLa cell line: a staple for medical researchers

The descendants of that tumor tissues are still alive today. Ask any biology undergraduate, and they will likely have heard the name of Henrietta Lacks. The cells are the most common cell line used in  research: they have been used to study AIDS, cancer, genetics, and have contributed to countless other medical breakthroughs.

Dividing HeLa cell culture under the electron microscope.

The ethics of taking this tissue without her knowledge are very questionable: is it right to use someone’s cells without their permission if it advances medical knowledge?

Henrietta Lacks is still alive

Though her body is no longer alive, the HeLa cells growing today in laboratories are Henrietta’s cells. And there are lots of these cells! More today than in Henrietta’s whole body when she died. She truly has been able to live on forever.

What do you think? Would you want to live on forever? Leave a comment below.