Happy Nice Mall

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a black mother of five who was dying of cervical cancer, Went to Johns Hopkins Hospital In Baltimore for treatment.

Doctors, without their knowledge or consent, removed a sample of cells from the tumor in the cervix. They gave the sample to a researcher at Johns Hopkins University who was trying to find cells that would survive indefinitely so researchers could experiment on them.

The invasive procedure led to a world-changing discovery: Cells evolved and multiplied in the lab, something no human cell had done before. They’ve been reproduced billions of times, contributed to nearly 75,000 studies, and led to the development of the HPV vaccine, drugs used to help people with HIV and AIDS, and more recently Covid-19 vaccines.

On Wednesday, 70 years after Ms Lacks died in the “colored ward” at Johns Hopkins Hospital and was buried in an unmarked grave, the World Health Organization unknowingly honored her contribution to science and medicine.

During a ceremony in GenevaWHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented the Director-General Award to his son, Lawrence Lacks, who was 16 when Miss Lacks’ mother died on October 4, 1951.

Victoria Baptiste, Lacks’ great-granddaughter, said the family’s presentation and acknowledgment of the legacy of “a black woman from the tobacco fields of Virginia Clover” was “humble.”

“Henrietta’s once-hidden contributions are now rightly honored for their global impact,” said Ms. Baptiste, a registered nurse.

About 50 million metric tons of cells, known as HeLa cells, are used by researchers and scientists around the world, said Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist.

Dr. “This is huge when you think about it,” said Swaminathan. “I can’t think of any other single cell line or lab reagent that has been used to this extent and has resulted in so much progress.”

Miss Lacks moved with her husband, David Lacks, from Virginia to Baltimore in the 1940s and was looking for better opportunities for her family. Henrietta Missing AttemptAn organization founded by his descendants.

After suffering heavy vaginal bleeding, she went to Johns Hopkins for help. She was 31 when she died eight months after learning she had cervical cancer.

Neither he nor his family were told that tissue samples from his tumor were reported to Johns Hopkins medical researcher Dr. It was not said to have been given to George Gay.

According to the Henrietta Lacks Initiative, the cells obtained from the sample were uniquely resilient, doubling every 24 hours, and were able to grow successfully outside the human body for more than 36 hours.

This discovery excited scientists and researchers who used them to develop the first polio vaccine and to manufacture drugs for other diseases such as Parkinson’s, leukemia, and flu.

But Miss Lacks identity remained hidden by investigators. His family didn’t learn about the use of their cells until 1973, when scientists summoned them for blood samples so they could study their genes. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” Rebecca Skloot’s best-selling book has also been translated A movie with Oprah Winfrey.

Descendants of Ms. Lacks expressed pride that her cells continue to succeed, but also angered at how she was being treated by doctors. This anger was only exacerbated by the commercialization of their cells.

Examining Miss Lacks’ tissue, Dr. Gay did not profit from his research. But over the decades, biotech companies commercialized the cells and Ms. Lacks’ family sold them, despite receiving no compensation.

Dr. “The chances are done,” Tedros said on Wednesday. “Science has progressed. Nobel Prizes have been won and, most importantly, many lives have been saved.”

“No doubt Henrietta would have been glad that her suffering had saved others,” she continued. “But the end does not justify the means.”

On October 4, his grandchildren Thermo sued Fisher ScientificA biotech company they accuse “of making a conscious choice to sell and mass-produce Henrietta Lacks’ living tissue,” according to the federal lawsuit.

The family said they demanded Thermo Fisher pay $9.9 million and “discharge all of its net profits from commercializing the HeLa cell line onto Ms. Lacks’ property.”

At a press conference, the family’s lawyer, Christopher Seeger, suggested that more biotech companies could be sued.

Mr Seeger said Thermo Fisher “shouldn’t feel too lonely, because they’re going to have too much company too soon”.

Waltham, Mass. based Thermo Fisher did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Dr. Tedros said Wednesday that the injustice that began with the removal of Ms. Lacks’ cells continues. For example, he noted that vaccines that help prevent cervical cancer and protect against Covid-19 are not accessible to poor countries.

Another speaker, Groesbeck Parham, co-chair of the managing director’s expert group on cervical cancer eradication, said the most effective way to recognize Ms. Lacks’ contribution is to stop inequalities in health and science.

“In this way we truly honor Miss Henrietta Lacks and immortalize her miracle,” she said.