BBC REEL - THE IMMORTAL CELLS OF HENRIETTA LACKS
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a black woman from Baltimore, USA, died of cancer. However, cells taken from her body without her knowledge continued to grow and multiply even after her death. They became the first 'immortalised human cell line' and changed medical science forever. HeLa cells have helped to create cancer treatments, vaccines and have even furthered our understanding of space travel. Now, 100 years on from Henrietta's birth, her amazing immortal cells are helping researchers develop a Covid-19 vaccine.
I had the pleasure of working with the BBC to create hand drawn animations for their recent piece on Henrietta, featuring interviews with the Lacks family and Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
