1. Who was Henrietta Lacks? What type of disease did she die from? How long ago did she die?

Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951) was an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized human cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line reproduces indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day.

Remember that HeLa cells were grown from a tissue sample from Lacks' cervical tumor. Cancerous cells don't experience PCD, and Lacks' particular cells were especially hardy. Just like the cancer grew and spread quickly through Lacks' body, HeLa cells grow and spread quickly in vitro.

Date of death: October 4, 1951

Place of death: The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman. Her cancer cells created the HeLa cell line (most scientists call her HeLa) and that cell line was the first immortalized human cell line. She died from cervical cancer in 1951, 69 years ago.