The HeLa cell line was derived from cancer cells taken without the patient’s knowledge from which person?

• A. Marie Curie
• B. Louis Pasteur
• C. Henrietta Lacks
• D. Rosalind Franklin

Answer: (C)

The HeLa cell line comes from Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cervical cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Those cells were found to divide indefinitely in culture, making them the first truly immortal human cell line. This breakthrough allowed researchers to study genetics, cancer, virology, and vaccines—most famously contributing to the development of the polio vaccine—while also raising important ethical questions about informed consent and the use of patient tissues in research. The other names listed are notable scientists for different reasons, but they are not connected to the origin of HeLa cells.