Of the many topics our podcast has covered in the past, from smallpox to scurvy, vaccines to birth control and beyond, one factor has linked nearly all of them: HeLa cells. These cells and the woman from whom they were taken have often remained behind the scenes in the coverage of these topics, but they have nevertheless been absolutely fundamental in the development of technologies, the advancement of knowledge, and the discussions of ethics, ownership, and informed consent. In this week’s episode, we want to do more than acknowledge the contribution of Henrietta Lacks and her cells to the field of biomedical science. We want to explore what it is about HeLa cells and other cell lines that makes them ‘immortal’. We want to learn what Henrietta was like as a person. We want to ask how it was possible for her cells to be taken from her without her consent or knowledge. And we want to share the tremendous impact Henrietta and her cells have made and continue to make on our world in so many ways.
For more information about the Henrietta Lacks Foundation, check out the website.
| History | Biology |
| Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Broadway Paperbacks, 2017. | Dumont, J., Euwart, D., Mei, B., Estes, S., & Kshirsagar, R. (2016). Human cell lines for biopharmaceutical manufacturing: history, status, and future perspectives. Critical reviews in biotechnology, 36(6), 1110–1122. https://doi.org/10.3109/07388551.2015.1084266 |
| Lucey, Brendan P., Walter A. Nelson-Rees, and Grover M. Hutchins. “Henrietta Lacks, HeLa cells, and cell culture contamination.” Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine 133.9 (2009): 1463-1467. | Maqsood, M. I., Matin, M. M., Bahrami, A. R., & Ghasroldasht, M. M. (2013). Immortality of cell lines: challenges and advantages of establishment. Cell biology international, 37(10), 1038–1045. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbin.10137 |
| Javitt, Gail. “Why not take all of me: Reflections on the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks and the status of participants in research using human specimens.” Minn. JL Sci. & Tech. 11 (2010): 713. | Anju Verma, Megha Verma, Anchal Singh, Chapter 14 – Animal tissue culture principles and applications. Editor(s): Ashish S. Verma, Anchal Singh. Animal Biotechnology (Second Edition). Academic Press, 2020, Pages 269-293, ISBN 9780128117101. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811710-1.00012-4. |
| Sodeke, Stephen Olufemi, and Lauren R. Powell. “Paying Tribute to Henrietta Lacks at Tuskegee University and at The Virginia Henrietta Lacks Commission, Richmond, Virginia.” Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 30.4 Suppl (2019): 1. | Brenner, Sydney., Jeffrey H. Miller, and William Broughton. (2002) “Cell cycle” and “Cell lines” from Encyclopedia of Genetics. Academic Press. pp 286-296, 310-311. |
| Shay, J. W., Wright, W. E., & Werbin, H. (1991). Defining the molecular mechanisms of human cell immortalization. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Reviews on Cancer, 1072(1), 1-7. | |
| Tsai, C. C., Chen, C. L., Liu, H. C., Lee, Y. T., Wang, H. W., Hou, L. T., & Hung, S. C. (2010). Overexpression of hTERT increases stem-like properties and decreases spontaneous differentiation in human mesenchymal stem cell lines. Journal of biomedical science, 17(1), 1-13. | |
| NIH, “HeLa Cells: A lasting contribution to biomedical research”. Webpage. https://osp.od.nih.gov/scientific-sharing/hela-cells-landing/ | |
| Yamanaka, S. (2012). Induced pluripotent stem cells: past, present, and future. Cell stem cell, 10(6), 678-684. | |
| Wolinetz CD, Collins FS. Recognition of Research Participants’ Need for Autonomy: Remembering the Legacy of Henrietta Lacks. JAMA. 2020;324(11):1027–1028. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.15936 | |
| Witze, A. (2020). Wealthy funder pays reparations for use of HeLa cells. Nature news 587, 20-21. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03042-5 |
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