Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Sep 2009
Biography Historical ArticleHenrietta Lacks, HeLa cells, and cell culture contamination.
Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 of an aggressive adenocarcinoma of the cervix. A tissue biopsy obtained for diagnostic evaluation yielded additional tissue for Dr George O. Gey's tissue culture laboratory at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, Maryland). ⋯ The debate over cell culture contamination began in the 1970s and was not harmonious. Ultimately, the problem was not resolved and it continues today. Finally, we discuss the philosophical implications of the immortal HeLa cell line.