Do you know about HeLa cells, which have been used by researchers worldwide and have contributed to numerous biomedical advances?

The cells originated from Henrietta Lacks, who passed away from cervical cancer in 1951 in the United States. Researchers aiming to create a cell line with unlimited proliferative capacity for cancer research found cells taken from Henrietta’s cancerous lesion to have a high proliferative capacity not seen in other cells. As a result, the HeLa cell line was established. While this cell line was originally distributed around the world to researchers for cancer research, it eventually led to a broad array of medical advances, including polio research.

HeLa cells were named after Henrietta Lacks, as was customary at the time. However, she died without knowing of their existence, and her family remained unaware of the cells for nearly 20 years. According to a book about HeLa cells,（※1） Henrietta Lacks’ family came to know about the cells when the wife of Henrietta’s eldest son was invited to lunch with her friend’s brother-in-law, who was a researcher. Upon hearing her last name, “Lacks,” he told her that he had recently learned that the cells he had long used in his research were derived from an African American woman named Henrietta Lacks. Furthermore, as public attention increased with the BBC creating a documentary about HeLa cells and Henrietta, the Lacks family also became well-known publicly. In other words, not only are HeLa cells being used around the globe, but the family from which they originated has become globally visible.

Against this backdrop, a movement emerged in 2013 to make the genomic information of HeLa cells publicly available. However, with the Lacks family already well-known, there were concerns that it would be an invasion of their privacy, leading to the suspension of the release. Francis Collins, Director of the US National Institutes of Health at that time, believed that conforming to the individual participant’s wishes was crucial to advancing research while respecting personal dignity. He held discussions with the family about handling the HeLa cell data and addressed their concerns and doubts by answering various questions.（※2）（※3）

Aside from contributing to numerous research achievements, HeLa cells have also taught us the necessity of considering whether ethical considerations have been overlooked in the development of life sciences. Moreover, HeLa cells have offered suggestions on how we should account for the wishes of the parties involved, such as cell donors and those who cooperate with researches, when contemplating such ethical considerations.

（※1）Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Crown. (2010).
（※2）Ewen Callaway. Deal done over HeLa cell line. Nature 500, 132–133 (2013).
（※3）Ewen Callaway. NIH director explains HeLa agreement. Nature News Q&A (2013).