In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot writes about one woman's journey to immortality. Through telling the story of Henrietta, the immortal woman, Skloot details some of the great changes occurring in biomedical research at this time: HeLa cells, the first immortal human cells, are attributed to many of these movements. With these cells, scientists have made, and continue to make, great strides in science. Namely, chemotherapy, cloning, genetic mapping, in vitro fertilization, and many therapeutic drugs were derived from the HeLa cell line (Skloot 21). And perhaps most importantly, scientists have discovered a polio vaccine using HeLa cells. However, aside from the growth of biomedical research, Skloot highlights the corners that many scientists have cut for their research. For one thing, Henrietta was not informed of her contribution to science: Henrietta's doctors were not required to ask her permission. The same goes for other doctors right now. For this reason all doctors had significant power over their patients. In short, Skloot describes biomedical research as a practice that requires progress, informed consensus, and shifts in power. Canada 2 Throughout the novel, Skloot recounts some of the great advances in biomedical research. The media often prematurely declared these great advances as the solution to all diseases. Similar to this case is the discovery of radium. In the 1800s, radium was considered “a substitute for gas, electricity, and a positive cure for every disease” (Skloot 46). Radium kills cancer cells, but it also kills healthy cells. In particular, to treat Henrietta's aggressive cervical cancer, doctors used radium, "[Henrietta] began to burn inside, and......half of the paper......199). In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot's interpretation of the HeLa phenomenon gave readers an idea of ​​his opinion on biomedical research in Henrietta's time made many scientists excited about it that would happen. However, this excitement led Henrietta's doctors – and many others – to neglect their patients' rights. That is, many patients, including Henrietta, were unaware of what the doctors were actually doing to them , doctors had all the power in the relationship with patients. Skloot's depictions of Henrietta and Moore's battles show readers the damage this power causes. Overall, Skloot's depiction of the biomedical field is weak, but promising for the future. And this promise for the future can only come from more patient-friendly regulations.