HeLa Cells The first immortal cell line Henrietta Lacks HeLa Cells The first immortal cell line

In 1951 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer

Cell culturing For years scientists have been trying to grow human cells outside of the body. This could be used for research. With no success. When Henrietta went in for a biopsy they sent a piece of her tumor down the hall to the cell culture. They didn’t die. They kept growing and multiplying. They are still alive today.

HeLa cells Anonymity was important These cells have been invaluable for medical research. They’ve been used to create the polio vaccine They were the first human cells to go up in space to see the effect of zero gravity Vital in cloning In vitro fertilization Gene mapping

HeLa cells

Now Researchers learn the intricacies of how cells work and test theories about the causes and treatment of diseases. HIV treatment All our Vaccines All our drug testing

Ethical Issues No one told Henrietta that they took her cells. Anonymity is important for research. The donor remained anonymous for 25 years. These were the first human biological materials to be bought and sold. The family is very poor and received no benefit. The cells have contaminated other cultures so now they need to map the DNA of the family to help identify the cells.

Bibliograpy http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Henrietta-Lacks-Immortal-Cells.html#