BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The first "immortal" human cells, known as "HeLa cells," are still alive today, though cancer patient Henrietta Lacks has been dead for more than 60 years, according to a new science book published in U.S.

Lacks was a poor tobacco farmer in Southern America, who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells -- cut from her cervix just months before she died -- became one of the most important tools in medicine.

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," the new book of author Rebecca Skloot, examines the extraordinary -- and controversial -- scientific contribution made by the young black woman from Baltimore County's Turners Station community more than a half-century ago.

While Lacks was being treated for cancer at Johns Hopkins, a researcher was able to keep some of her cells alive outside her body -- a remarkable breakthrough for medical research. The tumor left her five children motherless and change the future of medicine.

The author notes that the "HeLa cells," spreading around the world, were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, chemotherapy, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. She's simply called HeLa, the code name given to her. Lacks' role was not acknowledged for years. And though her cells launched a multimillion-dollar selling human biological materials, her family reaped no financial gain, leaving them understandably bitter.