The Women’s Empowerment Committee celebrates Black History Month
Henrietta Lacks: A medical experiment that is still saving lives today
Henrietta Lacks is best known as the source of cells that form the HeLa line, used extensively in medical research since the 1950s.
The HeLa strain revolutionized medical research. Jonas Salk used the HeLa strain to develop the polio vaccine, sparking mass interest in the cells. As demand grew, scientists cloned the cells in 1955.
Since that time, over ten thousand patents involving HeLa cells have been registered. Researchers have used the cells to study disease and to test human sensitivity to new products and substances.