By May 9, 1952, researchers had begun widely using cells from Henrietta Lacks—taken without her consent in 1951—to develop a vaccine for polio. Known as HeLa cells, they were the first human cells successfully cloned and grown indefinitely outside the body. The breakthrough was critical to Jonas Salk’s creation of the polio vaccine. Although her contribution revolutionized medicine, Lacks’ family was not informed for decades and received no compensation. Henrietta Lacks’ legacy has sparked vital debates about medical ethics, consent, and racial disparities in healthcare research.
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