Lacks Event: Meet the Family of Henrietta Lacks

Henrietta Lacks was a poor African American woman with cervical cancer and her cells were taken in 1951 without her consent. Her cell line is still being used today. The hela cells have been responsible for a lot of medical advancements. She has been called the mother of  science. These cells have led to breakthroughs including the polio vaccine, stem cell isolation, in the study of herpes, leukemia, influenza, hemophilia, parkinson’s disease, certain types of genetic diagnoses, cancer, AIDS, cloning, the effects of radiation and toxic substances, and in vitro fertilization. They were the first cells used to determine that humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes (genetic mapping). Many Canadian lives have been directly impacted by her cell line.