Sigma BioBlogs

At 30, a young, black tobacco farmer entered Johns Hopkins hospital for treatment of cervical cancer. Cells extracted during her biopsy were transferred to another lab where scientists were attempting to grow cells in culture. Until that point, they had been unsuccessful but cells from Henrietta Lacks’ tumor, known to the scientific community today as HeLa cells, did not die, giving rise to the first human immortal cell line.

Normal cells can proliferate a limited number of times before dying, but immortal cell lines such as HeLa, can divide an unlimited number of times in cell culture when conditions for cell survival are maintained. The culprit for unlimited cell division is an active form of the enzyme telomerase which prevents the shortening of telomeres, implicated in aging and cell death.

Though Henrietta died within the year of her biopsy, her cells have shaped the course of science for the past 50 years. HeLa cells were critical to the development of the polio vaccine, sparked the implementation of ethical standards and informed consent, and were used to make the Nobel Prize winning discovery that HPV causes cancer. With over 60,000 scientific papers, HeLa cells are the most published cell line used in research.

A book released today explores the life of the woman behind the immortal cells. Read an excerpt of the book and the interview with the author for Smithsonian Magazine.