"One of the first things a biomedical researcher learns is that it’s very hard to grow most human cells in the lab for an extended period. In fact, once removed from the human body, most cells will either die immediately or reproduce only a limited number of times. That’s why it was so significant in 1951 that this barrier was overcome for the first time, using cancer cells taken from a 31 year old African American woman named Henrietta Lacks.
These “HeLa” cells had an amazing property not seen before: they could be grown continuously in laboratory conditions. That’s right, the HeLa cell lines were perpetual, everlasting, death-defying, or whatever other word you want to use to describe immortal. This property meant that researchers would now have a handy stock of cells available for their experiments. It also meant that rather than each researcher using different cell types, labs all around the world could have access to cells of a common origin for their experiments." (NIH - Dr. Francis Collins)
http://directorsblog.nih.gov/2013/08/07/hela-cells-a-new-chapter-in-an-enduring-story/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130816-henrietta-lacks-immortal-life-hela-cells-genome-rebecca-skloot-nih/
http://www.genomicslawreport.com/index.php/2013/08/27/genomic-research-ethics-special-rules-for-hela-cells/
Hela Cells are the most widely used cell line in the world and has helped eradicate many deadly diseases.
Hank Greely, a biotechnology lawyer at Stanford University in California who has advised the EMBL group, says the HeLa agreement is a “good solution”, but applying it to other unconsented cell lines and data would be unwieldy and impractical. “The one thing we really should be doing is making sure everything we collect from here into the future is acceptable.”
When I bought the book by the journalist Rebecca Skloot, as soon as released in 2010, reporting the real story of Henrietta Lacks, the first «donator» of HeLa cells, I first thought it would be one more of these «airport books, that you read and throw away...
Instead, I kept it and have often come back to read some more.
It is a disturbing intelligent report, posing several important unanswered questions on Human Medical and Scientific ethics. That I wish to discuss with you !
The moral and ethical issues concerning body and organ donations after death are clearly and thorrowly legislated under International laws, aplicable to most of the Countries.
Nevertheless, these cells from a cancer patient were taken into culture asnd it was only afyter the death of the patient that it was found that these cells replicated endlessly and could ber used as a singular method of scientific research.
Who do those cells belong to?
Do they belong to the original human donor? To the first scientist who perceived their immortality and the interest of their use? Do they belong to Humanity or Science in general???
Should the orfan descendants receive compensation for the loss of their immortal mother's cells?
I wonder...
Hela Cells are the most widely used cell line in the world and has helped eradicate many deadly diseases.
Hank Greely, a biotechnology lawyer at Stanford University in California who has advised the EMBL group, says the HeLa agreement is a “good solution”, but applying it to other unconsented cell lines and data would be unwieldy and impractical. “The one thing we really should be doing is making sure everything we collect from here into the future is acceptable.”
Dear @Maria, I am not an expert but I do find the attached reading and dilemmas HeLa: Immortal Cells, Enduring Questions have place under your fine thread.
http://www.ethicscenter.net/files/u573/lacks.rivard.pdf
http://www.ethicscenter.net/event/HeLa_Program1
http://archive.magazine.jhu.edu/2010/06/immortal-cells-enduring-issues/
As far as I know, religions of the Books have not put any restrictions on the humans researches including the HeLa cells. My late father had a problem of sight in both of his eyes & I signed the approval (as his eldest son) to replace his lenses by synthetic (man-made) lenses. The cost, which I paid, was worth it since in his last 15 years he was capable of reading any book or newspaper & he wrote great poems "which I shall publish" after 2 years "when I retire".
Dear Maria, I agree that these cells belong to the doctor who hás extracted them on a surgery.
I might not, dear Vilemar. I would prefer considering that they belong to the World!
These cells may well carry the secret of immortality.
There has been permanent quest for the «Graal» since we know Human Science, that started as alchemy experiences in search of creating artificial Gold, and also the quest for Immortality and eternal life, as we are taught in Religious belief...
Dr. George Gey got written consent from the patient Henrietta Lacks to collect tissue from her cervical biopsy. (Had she been informed that her cells would start a revolution in Medical
I have read about them and I am impressed.
I think that they belong to Henrietta Lacks and that they are living entities, so they have to be buried together with their origin, in order to find peace that woman.
But, I know, researchers will not accept this ...
|t is indeed a very complicated issue dear Maria. You posted a question to steer our poor brains. I am not sure if I have had any other question which put me to think as this one. I hope we all will follow you to improve the level of our discussions.
Even today, a lot of research, especially in cancer field, are performed on HeLa cells (named from the donor). A science journalist, Rebecca Skloot, has devoted ten years of his life to reconstruct the story of Henrietta Lacks, his family, and scientific research that thanks to HeLa have seen the light. It has helped to create a foundation that will compensate the descendants of the woman for ethical misconduct committed in time, often unintentionally, by scientists.
Lerardi,
Taking that into consideration, I think it is worth giving her family a financial compensation. And we should go deeper inside the ethical issue of the question as Maria formulated it and we are not talking about it, or a few have. The quesiton is VERY good. This turn, we have to be better, at least some of us have. I am included in the list of those that have to improve his answer. I will try later dear Maria. But as I told you my computer at home had its PWB burned and they are trying to fix it.
Dear Maria
The cancer was a 'mole' in Henrieta Lack's body. No patient takes it home from the hospital after it is removed (as far as i know). The removal was done for her benefit and not to obtain the cancer cells. Neither she nor the relatives cared a hoot about whether the the removed cancer.cells were disposed away or not. In this case, a researcher/doctor happened to culture the cells. Ultimately 'money' and a financial angle developed, and the mole became a MOUNTAIN. In my opinion, even if no agreement had been made nothing should happen (of course the legal system would see this differently; they too have to survive). It is said that more people live of cancer than die of it, and this is another example of this survival. In a way I consider this as basically meaning less, and is more about money than ethics
Of course, the situation is different in the case of organ donation.
Narayanan
I was silent all the time, because I am one of the teachers using the HeLa cell modell. I totally agree with the statements of dear Narayanan, especially the thoughts about the normal behaviour of patients and their family concerning the biological "waste" after an operation of a tumor.
I feel snapped by the habit to convert any incident to money even the tragic death of a dear relative. I personally would be proud if my tumor cells could help such a lot of other patients.
Dear @Hanno, I would like that you never face tumor! I have had experience with my dear wife who had breast cancer, so I do follow such news, threads...etc. I do agree with your statement " I personally would be proud if my tumor cells could help such a lot of other patients."
Let me bring some good reading and article to this thread. Tumor cells that mimic blood vessels could help breast cancer spread to other sites. Link to this article is attached as the link to the paper also : "A model of breast cancer heterogeneity reveals vascular mimicry as a driver of metastasis"
http://www.cshl.edu/news-and-features/tumor-cells-that-mimic-blood-vessels-could-help-breast-cancer-spread-to-other-sites.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v520/n7547/full/nature14403.html
Narayanan, you are a courageous and wise man. If all the rewards are at your door, nothing is needed for your mind.
Ljubomir what a great news you are not a technical husband. Lucky are us to have you here, let alone your life. Do you have more material on those cells which mimick blood vessels?
Thank you all for your precious contributes.
Quite interesting to read and to follow! Thank you.Yes, dear Hanno , dear Enzo, and dear Narayanan and precious Vilemar!
I agree. and I see that this simple anecdote can give rise to such important contributes, as yours. I brought the subject because it made me think things over. And I enjoy sharing with you all. The fact that Henrietta Lacks came from the poorest black community of Baltimore in US, also gave birth and fed the whole discussion of money envolved, and the right to compensation...
I do agree, as I posted earlier, that the discovery of those cells properties and interest belong to Science, and to the World.
Thasnk you, dear Ljubomir for such interesting link. I have great faith and confidence in the advancement of scientific quest and struggle against Cancer in general.
As you know, I specialised in the study of the Anatomy of organs microvascular networks and vascular pathways. I know of its great interest in surgical procedures. I also have hope that the improvement of knowledge of vascular networks may bring serious contribute to future advances in the treatment of most of the diseases that cause ailments in modern times. Angiogenesis and apoptosis are in the root of many such diseases.
I have strong confidence in the future (and I hope to be able to contribute further...)
Wow,
Thank you, dear Zaheen for such special, well-informative analysis ! ...and you state that you are not a specialist ! ...
This is exactly what I most apreciate about RG questions and answers.
We all learn a bit from each others, as I learn from you and your statments.
Thank you, dear Zaheen ! You are blessed with inteligence.
Some points as reaction to the comments of the learned experts.
1. Was the tissue in the first place of the HeLa. (wanted /planned / god's gift as a part of body)
2. Use of the tissue - for good of the society / commercial gains.
The act of tissue being shared was for scientific research with obvious benefits to the mankind.
The owner never wanted it. (spent time/money to remove it with an operations)
The society never wanted to know it or own it. Science wanted it. Used it. For itself - NO. for society.
If any one in my view owns it it is science. Commercialisation of science in itself is an issue for discussion.
On a philosophical note - Every thing we have is a gift of nature we do not come to world with it or leave with it.
Thank you, dear Zaheen, for your intelligent interest.
Yes, there may be a lot more to it, than we can easily perceive from the facts that we can gather... Hence my interest in posing this question.
Thank you, dear Zaheen!
What happened to our dear, dear Sayed Zaheen Alam???
It seems that he deleted his own profile, just as our dear Kamal had done, a few months ago.
I do hope he'll return.
I'll be missing our dear Sayed Zaheen, and his important contributes that enriched the threads he joined...
I had grown acostumed to counting Sayed Zaheen as a good RG friend.
I will miss him dearly!
http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/2014/11/11/origin-of-hela-cells-continues-to-impactresearch-ethics/
(still present in our minds...)
http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/2014/12/11/link-human-rights-public-health/
Gernomic research and ethics...
http://int.search.myway.com/search/GGmain.jhtml?pn=1&ct=ARS&cb=BYC&pg=GGmain&p2=%5EBYC%5Exdm013%5ETTAB02%5Ept&qid=7ad51ae8abce4976a23f4a7939e682c9&n=781bde51&ots=1449225510819&ss=sub&st=tab&ptb=36439698-2024-4C2A-ABE5-165CA27050C9&searchfor=Ethical+Challenges+Encountered+in+Genomic+Research&feedurl=ars%252Ffeedback%253ForiginalQuery%253Dgenomic%252Bresearch%252Bethics%2526relatedQuery%253Dethical%252Bchallenges%252Bencountered%252Bin%252Bgenomic%252Bresearch&tpr=jre10&ots=1449225830439
http://www.genomicslawreport.com/index.php/2013/08/27/genomic-research-ethics-special-rules-for-hela-cells/
Thank you, Lawrence. You brought an interesting different perspective to this question.
We do have to open our minds and look at things from different angles, when we want a better analysis of problems. Thank you.
It is my belief that there should be no partial bits of Science, and that we should share and analize a better universal knowledge, if we want to follow a common path to better knowledge.
In this sense, I believe that RG is playing an important and innovative role in unifying scientists from different areas, both scientific as geografical, permitting us to exchange our views and to broaden our horizons, and to analyze and improve our personal thoughts.
It's good and it is mutually enriching to exchange views here.
Thank you, Lawrence!
Dear lawrence
What does immortality mean. Cells are cultured in petri dishes (one example) and seedlings taken from there are sub-cultured. As far as I understand,with cancer cells you can do this repeatedly for ever and ever, and this is called immortality. HeLa cells are one example. With normal cells you cannot do this repeatedly for ever; they die out, refuse to grow after a few repetitions, and this makes them mortal. Therefoer, in the case of humans too, is it not the ability to have children and keep their cell line on and on that makes them immortal. A single person living for ever and ever is not immortal in the sense that we use for cells. In Sanskrit we call this being a 'chiranjiivi', one who never dies. Is there an English word for this? Using immortal person is wrong as far as Biologists are concerned.
But I certainly agree with you: Man is tring to be chiranjiivis, and this is not good for Humankind.
Narayanan
Thank you, dear dear Narayanan !
You can become immortal too, when you spread important thoughts...
I thank you for your thoughts.
I'm obviously coming late to this discussion. The book that describes the origin of HeLa cells is:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Mar 8, 2011
by Rebecca Skloot
I think that the author did an excellent job of looking at this unique situation with a very open mind. Ms. Skloot provided discussions from the family of Henrietta Lacks and from the physicians and researchers who were involved in her treatment and later in the use of the immortal cell line derived from her malignancy. As in most any moral or ethical discussion answers are rarely reached through a very straight line. I would suggest that this book would be a valuable background for discussion.
Dear Steven,
Thank you.
If you read the fist post to this thread, I started exactly from quoting the Book by Rebecca Skloot, that I read as soon as first released, in 2010.
It is in fact, wonderfully written, so much that it brought to my mind to start this discussion. Because it brings about so many important issues to discuss in modern Medicine.. Either in ethical terms, or in the most general Phylosophy of Sciences, and even humankind.
At a certain point, it doesn't really matter if we are discussing Henrietta, or Helen, or African Americans, or Northern Europeans. This shows the importance of Ms. Skloot's book..
Any contribute is most welcome in a discussion forum, on such widely interesting, often subjective, subject. It could lead us anywhere you please.
From the 2nd page of the 2010 edition of R. Skloot's book... (check on the top left nucleus...)
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