The mystery of immortal human body cells

Scientists discovered that cells extracted from the body of a poor black woman who died of cancer in the United States in 1951 were the first human cells to grow indefinitely in the laboratory. Help create breakthrough medical research.

The story of the process of Henrietta Lacks - a female tobacco farmer, African-American inadvertently contributes to the revolution in the biomedical field, began to be widely known and became famous thanks to a The best-selling book in 2010 entitled "Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks".

Henrietta Lacks was 31 when she died of terminal cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The tumor cells of this poor, black woman were typical at the time, so they were extracted and preserved without "miserable".

Hela cells were extracted and stored, then transferred to laboratories around the world and used for nearly 75,000 different studies.

These genetic materials were later used to serve nearly 75,000 studies, helping to bring important breakthroughs in many areas such as vaccine preparation, cancer treatment and reproduction.

Although the "HeLa" genome has set the stage for billions of dollars in biotechnology, the Lacks have never shared any money benefits from the nickname cell line "any death ".

It was not until a scientist contacted for blood samples in 1973 that Lacks' relatives became aware that her cells were not only sampled but also provided to many laboratories throughout. place in the world.

Under the new agreement reached this week with the US National Institutes of Health - the agency that oversees medical research, the Lacks are still not paid any money but have control of a portion of their access. scientific circles for DNA codes in her cells, as well as being informed about studies using them.

The deal comes after Lacks' relatives raised privacy concerns when German researchers released her DNA code in March. Rebecca Skloot, the famous book author on Lacks, participated in the negotiation that led to the agreement. She claims, the Lacks family has never asked for money, but do not want to be "outdone" in studies derived from HeLa cells.