Cells from Henrietta Lacks’ (1920–1951) cancerous tumor were cultured by Dr George Gey to create a cell line for medical research.

Life

Henrietta was born on August 18 1920 in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. In 1943 she moved to Turner's Station, Maryland not far from Baltimore. She married David Lacks I, and they had four children: Deborah, David, Lawrence, and Zakariyya. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in Baltimore, and was admitted to the Johns Hopkins University hospital. She died on October 4 1951 at the age of thirty-one, and was buried without a tombstone in the cemetery near her parent's farm in Clover, Halifax County , Virginia.

HeLa cell line

The cell line created by Dr Gey is known as the HeLa cell line, and has been used in a large number of medical experiments, contributing greatly to human understanding of disease processes. There is controversy, however, concerning the use without her permission of Lacks' cells for research . Her real name was finally released, giving her recognition as a contributor to medical research.

Devolution

Her case is an excellent example of devolution. A complex multicellular organism has devolved into a simple, self-replicating, single-cell organism. Her case may represent the first documented creation of a new species.