Henrietta Lacks passed away from cervical cancer in 1951, but her cells have been continuously used in medical tests due to their ability to replicate quickly. She might be the first immortal women as her lineage of cells have been used for the last 70 years.
Her cells were extracted without her permission and given away freely for use in medical research.
See also:
- Henrietta was undergoing radium treatments, the unknown god
- Is this path dependence in medical research?