Descendants of Henrietta Lacks joined in revolutionizing the future location of the Baltimore building.

During her short life, Henrietta Lacks inadvertently changed the face of medicine. Now, the woman whose harvested cells continue to inform and advance medical research will also change the face of Johns Hopkins as the institution breaks ground on a building named for her. On Monday, several of Lacks’ descendants joined representatives from Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine for the dedication ceremony at the corner of Ashland and Rutland avenues in Baltimore.

“Today we are making a concrete commitment to ensure that Henrietta Lacks’ name will be as immortal as her cells,” said John Hopkins University President Ron Daniels. according to a report from the institution. “When the Henrietta Lacks Building rises, it will be a vibrant, multidisciplinary place of learning, discovery and dialogue that will facilitate community-oriented medical research and fuel the next wave of progress in the study and promotion of research ethics. We look forward to a building that does justice to Henrietta Lacks’ transformative legacy, and our heartfelt thanks to the members of the Lacks family for their generosity of spirit in naming this building after her.”

As documented in the best-selling book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Missing,” Lacks’ history with Johns Hopkins is a controversial one. After seeking treatment at the institution’s hospital, the 31-year-old mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Despite treatment, she died in October 1951. However, the sample of cells taken during Lacks’ biopsy proved resilient, not only surviving but also multiplying, a phenomenon never seen before. Intrigued by the rarity of Lacks’ genetic material, biologist and cancer researcher George Gey, who at the time had collected and studied cells from cancer patients in hospitals, shared samples with other researchers worldwide at no cost.

Lacks’ cells, since the cells were named “HeLa” (to represent the first two letters of her first and last name) would prove fundamental in future medical research and innovation. In the years since her tissue was collected, her cells have been used in human genome research, treatments for cancer and HIV/AIDS, and even the vaccines now available for polio and COVID-19, Johns Hopkins reports. Yet for all their worth in the medical world, for decades, no recognition of her shortcomings or compensation was given to her surviving family; that is, until researcher and author Rebecca Skloot discovered Lacks’ story and explored, with John Hopkins, the bioethical issues surrounding the unauthorized harvesting of her precious cells.

“At several times over these decades, I have found that Johns Hopkins could have — and should have — done more to inform and work with Henrietta Lacks’ family members out of respect for them, their privacy, and their interests personal.” the institution finally admittedpledging to strengthen Lacks’ legacy with her family. In 2013, Johns Hopkins partnered with Lacks’ family and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create an agreement based on consent for use of Lack’s genetic material in NIH-funded research. Two members of the Lacks family currently serve on the committee, one of whom is Henrietta Lacks’ granddaughter, Jeri Lacks Whye, who attended Monday’s inauguration.

“While this building will bear her name, it will also provide space for continued research, learning and inspiration for future generations,” Lacks Whye said in a statement. “We recognize more than just the scientific contributions made possible by her cells. We also recognize the story of a black woman who did not live to see the world her cells helped create—a story that, for too long, has been hidden. Our hope is that this building will continue to shine a light on its legacy.”

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At Monday’s inauguration, Theodore DeWeese, dean of the school of medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, reiterated the institution’s commitment to doing just that, saying, “Today is not about those immortal cells, as important as they are . Today it’s about immortalizing the name of the woman from whom those cells came. It is about making sure that her name and her unknown role will always be remembered by all students, all residents, all other learners, faculty and staff who enter the building that will rise. on this ground.

“(Henrietta Lacks) is without a doubt one of the most important contributors to science and medicine, and we truly hope that this building will serve as an important reflection on what her life meant to this world,” DeWeese added.

Designed by Black architect Victor Vines and located on John Hopkins’ campus in East Baltimore, the future building bearing Lacks’ name will be a 34,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the university’s Deering Hall, the longtime home of the Berman Bioethics Institute. Johns Hopkins reports that the new building “will support multiple programs of the Berman Institute, Johns Hopkins University, and the School of Medicine, and will accommodate flexible programming and classroom space for educational, research, and community use.”

“The breadth and depth of our work will expand with this new building,” said Jeffrey Kahn, director of the Berman Institute, adding, “and its dedication to Henrietta Lacks is an important reminder of the need for ethical, equitable, responsible science, and community-engaged research.”

As for the inspiration behind his design, architect Vines described the concept as “like a veil (and) delicate, (yet) strong, bold and beautiful, which is what we think this person was.” The building’s evocative features include “a magnificent staircase that climbs up through the building into the sky, where I choose to think Henrietta Lacks is today,” added Vines, who collaborated with both Johns Hopkins and the Lacks family on the design concept .

For JaBrea Rodgers, Lacks’ great-granddaughter, the full significance of Lacks’ long-overlooked legacy continues to manifest itself in this architectural tribute. “Today we recognize not just her cells, but her humanity,” she said of the revolutionary. “My great-grandmother was a mother, a wife and a friend. While we cannot change the injustices of the past, we can, however, ensure that its legacy is known and celebrated. As we look to the future of this building, let it serve as a symbol not only of scientific advances, but also of the ongoing journey to recognize the humanity behind every discovery.”

Construction of the Henrietta Lacks Building at Johns Hopkins is expected to be completed in 2026.

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