The immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks - Robin Bulleri
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Imagine something small enough to float on a particle of dust that holds the keys to understanding cancer, virology, and genetics. Luckily for us, such a thing exists in the form of trillions upon trillions of human, lab-grown cells called HeLa. But where did we get these cells? Robin Bulleri tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose DNA led to countless cures, patents, and discoveries.
Dr. Gey took a sample of the tumor cells from Henrietta Lacks without her or her family’s permission. He then gave away sample of HeLa cells to labs all over the world. While Dr. Gey did not profit from HeLa, the Lacks family was completely unaware of Henrietta’s contributions to science for decades. Do you think what Dr. Gey did was ethical, and do you think this type of situation would happen today? Why or why not?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Robin Bulleri
- Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
- Animator Brandon Denmark
- Narrator Pen-Pen Chen
