In a recently released book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” author Rebecca Skloot has examined the immensely noteworthy scientific contribution made by the “HeLa cells” – the cells of the cancer-stricken Henrietta Lacks; a 30-year-old poor black woman who died almost three decades back!

While Lacks was undergoing cervical cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins in 1951, doctors took some of her tumor cells without her permission and managed to keep them alive outside her body. Later, realizing that the cells – ‘HeLa cells’ as they are called - could not only be kept alive but also grown, they chanced upon one of the most extraordinary breakthroughs in medical research.

The countless HeLa cells that have been grown over the years, after Lacks’ death in 1952, have helped researchers a great deal – beginning with their use in developing a polio vaccine, the HeLa cells have contributed to the development of medicines to combat cancer; flu; and Parkinson's disease, via gene mapping and cloning.

In addition, these cells have also been used for testing the impact of atomic radiation and have been sent into outer space.

However, ironically, Henrietta’s family-members were ignorant of the proceedings and practically lived in poverty. Nearly two decades later, they were told about HeLa cells; but have neither been paid a cent out of the money companies are minting, nor been rendered an apology for the un-permitted use of the cells.