Reclaiming the Past
- Isha Kapoor
- Oct 31, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 3, 2023
In this post, we explore the impact of Henrietta Lacks’ HeLa cells in developing many therapies and medications. We delve into the darker side of our medical past and how we can learn from the biases of the past to create a more equitable future.
Henrietta Lacks (born August 1, 1920) was an African-American woman belonging to a poor family from rural Virginia. She moved to Baltimore with her family in 1941. At the young age of 31, Henrietta tragically passed away from cervical cancer. Her cancer cells, widely known as the HeLa (Henrietta Lacks) cells, were passed on to researchers after her death. The cells have been used for innumerable significant scientific experiments over the years.
HeLa cells were attractive for research because of their ability to divide continuously, a characteristic feature of cancer cells. Many important discoveries in modern medicine are attributable to research conducted in the HeLa cells, including critical research on cloning, mapping the human genome, and the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
What makes this a dark truth, however, is the fact that Henrietta or her family did not provide consent to the use of her cells—they did not realize that her cells were going to be used for research. In fact, many researchers who have conducted experiments on these cells are perhaps not even aware of the story of the woman to whom these cells belong.
Henrietta’s family was shocked when they learned about the use of her cells about 20 years ago—40 years after scientists started using them. This revelation, in fact, shook the entire African-American community. What’s more, scientific organizations have profited billions of dollars from HeLa cells, but the Lacks family has still not received any form of compensation for the use of Henrietta’s cell line, despite pursuing a legal initiative.
This is undoubtedly an appalling occurrence that raises important ethical questions about scientific research in the U.S. Why was the protocol of informed consent not followed in this situation? Would the situation have been different if the patient had been White? Or if she was not from a poor family?
The phenomenon of anti-Black racism in scientific research in the U.S., unfortunately, is not unprecedented. There are numerous examples of unethical practices against African Americans in research. The first known example of an unethical practice in scientific research directed toward African Americans occurred as early as the 1840s. There have been instances when treatments for diseases have been withheld from Black individuals in research studies, leading to serious consequences. At other times, clearly harmful medications have been tested in African American children, without obtaining informed consent from their parents.
These occurrences highlight yet another example of the rampant racial inequities that plague the U.S. healthcare system. They contribute to the mistrust of the underrepresented communities in the medical system. There are important lessons to be learned from these unjust acts against basic human rights.
The National Institutes of Health, the regulatory body that oversees scientific research conducted in the U.S., has now laid out an agreement detailing the terms for the use of HeLa cells. The family of Henrietta Lacks is a part of the review committee that controls the use of these cells for scientific research. While this step does not make up for the years of injustice and trauma, it is a well-deserved act of respect toward the family.
-Isha Kapoor
Isha is a senior at Mayo High School in Rochester, MN.
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