Her Cell Sample Used Without Family Knowledge, Henrietta Lacks Named 'Mother Of Modern Medicine'

Henrietta Lacks' son, Lawrence Lacks Sr., received the award on his mother's behalf from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Source: WHO)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) pays tribute to an African-American woman whose cells benefited in breakthroughs in important medical fields.

It was Henrietta Lacks, who died at the age of 31 of cervical cancer in 1951. Her cell samples were collected by doctors without the knowledge of the family. It was the first living human cell known to reproduce outside the body.

Citing CNN on October 15, a surgeon removed cells from her cervix without her consent during the procedure. The sample allowed a doctor at the hospital to create the first human cell line to reproduce outside the body.

It is known, these cells are used in research leading to the polio vaccine, gene mapping to IVF treatment. Advances in the field of medicine, brought Henrietta Lacks crowned as 'the mother of modern medicine'.

"What happened to Henrietta was wrong," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a special ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday this week, citing the BBC October 14.

"Henrietta Lacks was exploited. She is one of many women of color whose bodies have been abused by science. She put her trust in the health system so that she could receive treatment. But the system took something from her without her knowledge or consent." Tedros.

Henrietta Lacks. (Source: hopkinsmedicine.org)

HeLa cells, a name derived from the first two letters of Henrietta Lacks' first and last name, are also used in a vaccine against cervical cancer, the disease that killed Lacks.

Accepting the award, Lacks' 87-year-old son, Lawrence, described his mother as an extraordinary woman, who continued to help the world long after her death.

"We are moved to receive this historic acknowledgment from my mother, Henrietta Lacks, honoring who she was as an extraordinary woman and the lasting impact of her HeLa cell. My mother's contributions, once hidden, are now honored for their global impact," Lawrence Lacks said in a statement.

"My mother was a pioneer in life, giving back to her community, helping others live better lives, and caring for others. In death, she continued to help the world. Her legacy lives on within us and we thank you for mentioning her name."

Henrietta Lacks, a tobacco farmer from Virginia, was buried in an unmarked grave after her death at a racially segregated hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.