Prompt Cast
The Impact and Controversy Surrounding Henrietta Lacks' Immortal Cells
TLDR Henrietta Lacks' HeLa cells, the first immortal human cells, have made significant contributions to scientific research, but her family did not benefit from this discovery and were unaware that her cells were being used without her consent. The Lacks family eventually found out about the multi-billion dollar industry surrounding HeLa cells, but were unable to pursue legal action due to the potential implications for medical research.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode of "Stuff You Should Know" discusses the history and importance of Henrietta Lacks and her Hila cells, which have made significant contributions to science.
04:21
Henrietta Lacks had cervical cancer and her cells, known as HeLa cells, were the first immortal human cells that could continue to reproduce in culture, which had significant implications for scientific research, although her family did not benefit from this discovery.
08:11
Henrietta Lacks' family had no idea that her cells were being used without her consent, and it was common practice at the time to take tissue samples and use them for research.
11:27
The placement of HPV in Henrietta Lacks' DNA above a regulatory gene called MYC is believed to be what causes her cells to grow and divide quickly, resulting in the immortal line of cells known as HeLa cells.
15:22
HeLa cells are extremely robust and have been used in thousands of medical cases, but they can also be invasive and easily contaminate other cell lines, leading to the need for a way to identify them; when the Lacks family finally found out about the cells, they discovered that the cell line was a multi-billion dollar industry from which they had not received any compensation.
19:18
HeLa cells have been used in a wide range of scientific achievements, including the study of viruses, the development of vaccines, and research on diseases like tuberculosis, HIV, and Parkinson's; the Lacks family, who had not received any compensation for the use of Henrietta Lacks' cells, eventually found out about the cells and were unable to pursue legal action due to the potential implications for medical research.
23:09
The Lacks family has been invited to be part of the Hila genome data access working group, which considers applications to use Henrietta Lacks' cells, and while her genome has been published and is accessible, it is now behind a password-protected database, and the family members on the board handle requests for access and agree to use the cells only for biomedical research.
26:43
The episode ends with a mention of a foundation dedicated to Henrietta Lacks and a listener mail about a biodiesel operation.
Categories:
Society & Culture
