HeLa

T02037669518
"We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph." Elie Wiesel In 1951, Henrietta Lacks walked into a hospital in Baltimore with a pain in her abdomen. A routine biopsy revealed a cancerous tumour, one which would kill her just months later. Unknown to her, a sample from this tumour was taken and become one of the most important tools in medicine - now known as the HeLa cell line. There are more of Henrietta's cells alive today than were ever in her body - enough to make 400 Henrietta Lacks. Inspired by Henrietta's extraordinary life story, Adura Onashile's (Roadkill) solo work-in-progress looks at the nature of genes and identity, and the current ethical debates surrounding human tissue research and ownership.

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Archive :: production:T02037669518, play:S297621205, venue:V483

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