She Died Of Cancer 70 Years Ago, But Her Cells Save Millions Of Lives Even Today

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of World Health Organisation on Wednesday posthumously honoured the late Henrietta Lacks, an American woman whose cancer cells were taken without her knowledge, but were instrumental in the creation of numerous lifesaving scientific breakthroughs.

AP Photo

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Lacks died of cervical cancer on October 4, 1951, at the age of just 31 years. Doctors at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore took a tissue from her body without her consent -- at a time when racism ran rampant in the nation.

Tedros said in a statement, ¡°Henrietta Lacks was exploited. She is one of many women of colour whose bodies have been misused by science. She placed her trust in the health system so she could receive treatment. But the system took something from her without her knowledge or consent. The medical technologies that were developed from this injustice have been used to perpetrate further injustice because they have not been shared equitably around the world.¡±

The cells were the first-ever human cells to be cloned. Dubbed HeLa cells, since then they¡¯ve been reproduced infinitely and have been regarded as a cornerstone of modern medicine, giving humanity the polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even the vaccine to take down novel coronavirus.

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The HeLa cell line according to Tedros was also foundational in the development of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines that can eliminate the very cancer that took Lacks¡¯s life.

WHO/Twitter

According to WHO, over 50 million metric tonnes of HeLa cells have been distributed across the globe and has been instrumental in over 75,000 studies.

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He added, "But the end does not justify the means. All it would have taken was for someone to do her the honour of asking. In honouring Henrietta Lacks today, WHO acknowledges the importance of reckoning with past injustices and advancing racial equity in health and science. Acknowledging the wrongs of the past is essential for building trust for the future. We also recognize the extraordinary potential that her legacy continues to offer. There are many more lives we can save by working for racial justice and equity.¡±

He concluded by stating, ¡°We stand in solidarity with marginalized patients and communities all over the world who are not consulted, engaged or empowered in their own care. We affirm that in medicine and in science. BlackLivesMatter. Henrietta Lacks¡¯s life mattered, and still matters."

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