Henrietta Lacks and HeLa Cells (1951)

HeLa cells represent the most commercially exploited human tissue in history, generating hundreds of billions in value without consent. Cells from Henrietta Lacks's cervical cancer were taken without her knowledge at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, becoming the first immortal human cell line. These cells have been used in over 75,000 studies, contributing to the polio vaccine, cancer research, and COVID-19 treatments. The Lacks family received nothing for decades and learned of the cells' existence only in 1975. The concrete data point of zero compensation for 24 years highlights the systematic failure of bioethics at the time, reshaping consent laws and ensuring that no future case could replicate such disregard for patient autonomy.