Henrietta Lacks

This beautiful woman passed away in 1951 from cervical cancer, but before that, unknown by her, cells were removed for use in cell research. Called HeLa cells, her cells were so durable, they were used  by Jonas Salk to develop the polio vaccine. The cells were cloned in 1955 and, since that time, over ten thousand patents involving HeLa cells have been registered. Researchers have used the cells to study disease and to test human sensitivity to new products and substances. 

Biographical site: Henrietta Lacks. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:37, Mar 09, 2015, fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/henrietta-lacks-21366671.