A professor of cell biology discussed the ethics of human research and its connection to SMU’s Common Reading for freshman students, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot.

The Hughes-Trigg Forum was filled to the brim with students sitting on the floor as Dr. Fred Grinnell, professor of cell biology at UT Southwestern, discussed the history of ethics in regard to human research.

“It’s no longer OK in human research for an investigator to decide what to do and then do it,” Grinnell said.

Wednesday evening’s event, “HeLa Cells, Human Research Ethics and Genetics” was the third installment of SMU’s Gartner Honors Lecture Series. Each lecture highlighted different aspects of the common reading selection.

This work of nonfiction described the life of Henrietta Lacks, a poor tobacco farmer who died at age 31 of cervical cancer. Before Lacks’ operation the doctor shaved two pieces of tissue from her cervix without her permission. These cells, now called HeLa cells, have played a crucial role in many scientific discoveries including the polio vaccine and developing a future cure for cancer.

“The doctors took her cells without asking” Grinnell said. “They really should’ve asked her.”

During his PowerPoint presentation, Grinnell showed the audience Lacks’ medical consent form that she signed and a similar form used today. This form states that the doctor should do whatever is necessary during the operation or procedure. As a result, there are a lot of specimens, like tissue, taken from the patients.

“What’s OK to do with these specimens?” Grinnell asked.

Grinnell discussed the history of human research and the development of its ethical principles over time. He said that even in 1966 the scientific community still thought they knew best in regards to human testing.

Grinnell said that a study in 1982 called the “Therapeutic Misconception” stated that patients mistakenly believed they were really being treated and not just used for research.

“If you want to understand the difference between therapy and research look at the end result,” Grinnell said.

Grinnell continued to explain that if it is research, the treatment continues until the research is over and then it stops immediately, even if the patient is going to get worse.

Grinnell also discussed how genetics modify disease and the embryo’s current role in genetic medicine.

Grinnell said that IVF, in vitro fertilization, clinics can make extra embryos and store them in freezers.

“What about those?” Grinnell asked again, “Can we do research on those?”

According to Grinnell embryos are the best genetic patients because the genetic options decrease as the embryo grows. Therefore, genetics can tell a person’s medical future, like what level of medicine dosage one should take and ultimately disease prevention.

Students learned more about the ethics of genetics and it’s connection to their common reading through this lecture.

“It was really interesting to learn about the genetic aspect of the topic,” Anam Hadwani, freshman business major, said.

This lecture brought forth a lot of questions from the audience in their desire to learn more about this controversial topic. However, some felt that the discussion could have been deepened in certain topics of interest.

“I loved the speech and thought it was fascinating,” Jacquelyn White, SMU freshman, said. “However, I wish we could’ve spent more time on the moral issues with embryonic cells.”