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posted on Sat, 02/06/2010 - 8:08pm
Henrietta everlasting: 1950s cells still alive
.thumbnail.jpg "Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951): The Harvard Gazette is copyrighted, but no copyright for the image is specified by the magazine.")
Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951): The Harvard Gazette is copyrighted, but no copyright for the image is specified by the magazine.
Courtesy Harvard University Gazette
Henrietta Lacks 1950s Cells Still Alive, Helping Science
Even though Henrietta Lacks died in 1951, her cells are still alive.
By 1954, Henrietta Lacks' cells known as HeLa were used by Jonas Salk to develop a vaccine for polio.
"In the half-century since Henrietta Lacks' death, her ... cells ... have continually been used for research into cancer, AIDS, the effects of radiation and toxic substances, gene mapping, and countless other scientific pursuits".
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
"A new book by Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, examines the extraordinary impact of HeLa on science and the effects of that unchosen legacy on Lacks’ family." Wired
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Also heard this NPR story on Henrietta (and the book) this weekend: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123472238
Very cool, indeed.
posted on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 9:53am
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