Everyone is invited to join our discussion of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, in this special book club hosted as part of the Cambridge Festival.
Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman, unknowingly enabled a scientific revolution when her cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 and scientists found they could be grown indefinitely in the laboratory. For decades, researchers knew this mother of five, who had died from cervical cancer aged 31, only as ‘HeLa’. But her cells became crucial to understanding viruses, devising cancer treatments and developing vaccines.
Joining us to discuss the book and how Henrietta Lacks’ cells are still making an impact today are two scientists whose fields of research have been greatly influenced by Henrietta Lacks’ immortal cells: Professor Andrea Brand, Gurdon Institute, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, and Professor Nick Hopwood, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, both University of Cambridge.
Further information about The Really Popular Book Club, including our FAQs, can be found here.
Where: Online via Zoom Meetings
Registration: Free event, registration required – click here to register
Date: Thursday 1 April 2021