‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ chosen as Common Read book.
SAVANNAH — In 1951, a scientist named George Gey discovered the first human cell line that would not die.
It was one of the most important discoveries in 20th century medical research. The cells were used in the testing for polio, cancer, AIDS and gene mapping.
To the medical community, they’re known as HeLa cells. They have become the subject of more than 60,000 scientific articles.
But what few understood was the complex story of the human origin of those cells and ethical dilemma that arose from harvesting and distributing them.
That story is captured in the 2010 best-selling book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”
On August 19, Armstrong Atlantic State University will host a public lecture on the book lead by Mary Ann Bowman Beil, an ethicist at Memorial University Medical Center.
The event kicks off Armstrong’s Common Read program, which named the book as its selection for the semester.
“It’s an incredible story,” said Beil, vice president of ethics and compliance at Memorial. “The whole story of how Rebecca Skloot, the writer, gets onto this story, and how it becomes this book and this tale this many years later is an extraordinary journey.”
“And, it’s very timely as we enter an age of such extraordinary possibilities in research and the importance of the informed consent process.”
Beil oversees Memorial’s programs dealing with bioethics and corporate and research ethical standards and compliance.
Much of the discussion on ethics in medical research today centers around the issue of “informed consent,” the process by which physicians and researchers communicate a diagnosis, treatment, risks and alternatives to their patients and test subjects.
Lacks was a 30-year-old mother of five living in Baltimore when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951.
During her treatment at Johns Hopkins University, doctors took samples of her tumor for testing without her explicit permission.
They sent the cells to Gey, who discovered that Lacks’ cells had the uncanny ability to survive and rapidly reproduce in laboratory.
HeLa became the first “immortal” human cell line.
Gey began reproducing and distributing HeLa cells for free to interested colleagues, all in the name of advancing science.
Meanwhile, few people knew the name and the human story behind the HeLa cells.
Henrietta Lacks’ family didn’t know about the use of her cells or the extraordinary contributions they had made to medical research until the over 20 years after she died.
The book reveals how journalists, con men and researchers exploited the family’s confusion and poverty.
In interviews, the Lacks family points to the irony of their genetic contribution to research while many family members can’t afford medical insurance.
Throughout the semester, Armstrong will hold public events exploring other themes relevant to the book.
“It’s a tremendously engaging read, and it presents a fascinating story,” said Jewell Anderson, an Armstrong librarian and member of the committee that chooses the Common Read book.
“We wanted the selected title to have applicability for teaching at all four of Armstrong Atlantic’s colleges, and we really thought the ‘Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ was able to fit that bill.”
IF YOU GO
What: Common Read program kick-off
When: Noon-1:30 p.m. Aug. 19
Where: Armstrong Fine Arts Auditorium, 11935 Abercorn St., Savannah
Details: Mary Ann Bowman Beil, an ethicist at Memorial University Medical Center, will lead a discussion on “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” to kick off Armstrong Atlantic State University’s fall semester Common Read program. The event is free and open to the public.
Details: Go to armstrong.edu.