Case Study: HeLa Cells

Please answer the questions on the second page of the HeLa Cells Handout.pdf
STUDENT HANDOUT 1.1a
HeLa CellsCase Study A: Henrietta Lacks and HeLa Cells
Henrietta Lacks died when she was 31 years old in a segregated hospital ward for "coloreds" in Baltimore, Maryland on October 4, 1951. Lacks was a poor, black woman from an uneducated family who had worked in the tobacco fields in Virginia almost all of her life. She married young and had five children.
Soon after the birth of her youngest child in 1950, Henrietta discovered a lump in her body. A doctor at a free clinic ward for colored people examined her lump and the diagnosis was cervical cancer. The doctor performed a routine medical procedure to collect tissue samples from her cancerous tumor. At the time, it was common for doctors to send tissue samples to research facilities so that cells could be studied to learn more about many diseases. The rules for getting informed consent from patients were much less strict than they are today. Henrietta's doctors did not inform her about what they were doing or get her permission for the tissue collection, though they did get consent from her husband to perform an autopsy after her death.
On the same day that Henrietta passed away. Dr. George Gey [pronounced "guy"], a leading researcher who had been trying to establish the successful growth of a stable human cell line, appeared on television to present his contribution to the fight against cancer. Dr. Gey introduced to the world the first successfully grown human cell line, which he termed "HeLa" in honor of the human patient who had unknowingly donated to the cause— Henrietta Lacks.
As Dr. Gey was presenting his discovery, scientists all over the world were being given HeLa cells for free to conduct their own studies. The HeLa cell line became an essential resource for medical research in many labs worldwide. Soon, many companies began mass producing HeLa cells for commercial research use, reaping millions of dollars in profits that would never have been possible without Henrietta's cells. HeLa cells have since been used in many ways, including testing vaccines, learning about genetics, research into cancer and AIDS, and developing drugs. It took decades, and the help of a journalist, for the family to learn what had happened to their mother's cells.
Henrietta was buried in an unmarked grave for almost 60 years, until 2010. Her headstone has now been marked with her name and an inscription that reads "in loving memory of a phenomenal woman, wife, and mother who touched the lives of many. Here lies Henrietta Lacks (HeLa). Her immortal cells will continue to help mankind forever."
Henrietta's family never received any part of the billions of dollars that HeLa cells brought (and continue to bring) to many companies. In fact, since Henrietta was never informed that her tissue had been collected, for more than 20 years after her death, her family was unaware of the robust industry Henrietta's cells helped launch or her "immortal" status.
The Lacks' family and children are still economically disadvantaged. Many of Henrietta's descendants can't afford health insurance or treatments that have been made possible by direct work with the HeLa cell line. Deborah, the fourth of Lacks' children, describes the situation: "Truth be told, I cannot get mad at science, because it helps people live and I'd be a mess without it. But I won't lie. I would like some health insurance so I don't got to pay all that money every month for drugs my mother's cells probably helped make."
This summary is based on a true story. Please see the Sources section for reference information.
Contributed by Myra Amone, Redmond High School, Redmond, WA.
Autopsy: An examination conducted on a dead body to determine the cause of death.
Cervical cancer: Cancer of the cervix, which is the lower, narrow end of the uterus.
Human cell line: A continuously dividing set of cells used in medical research that are derived from a single human cell.
Informed consent: A process that outlines required elements of research participation, including its risks and potential benefits, to help someone decide whether to participate. An informed consent form is used to convey essential information and is signed by the participant if he or she decides to join the study.
Tissue sample: Bodily fluids (e.g., blood or saliva) or tissue (e.g., cells, skin, bone, or muscle) for use in research.HANDOUT

STUDENT HANDOUT 1.2
Guiding Questions for Historical Case StudiesName___________ Date_ PeriodComplete the following chart with your group after you read through your case study Record information from the other case studies presented by other groups in your notebook. CASE STUDY:1. What good came out of the research? What was the importance of the study? 2. What things were not fair or are questionable about the research or its process? 3. Who was involved in the case? Directly? Indirectly? 4. Was everyone involved fully aware of and did they agree to be part of all aspects of the research? 5. What was society's role in the case? 6. How did social issues (e.g., poverty, education, religion) influence the case? 7. What core values were in conflict in this case?
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