HeLa
Eternal research cells
HeLa designates the first immortal human cell line, derived from cervical cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks in 1951.
The name combines the first two letters of her first and last names.
HeLa cells have been essential to countless medical breakthroughs, including polio vaccine development and cancer research: Researchers cultured the virus in HeLa cells.
The cells were taken without Lacks's knowledge or consent, raising enduring ethical questions about medical consent and exploitation.
Cannot die
- cell linePropagated cells from ancestor
- cultureCollective social practices
- cervical cancerMalignancy of the womb's opening
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
laboratory · in vitro · cell division · proliferation · passage · growth medium · incubator · flask
Permission given with understanding
- bioethicsMoral philosophy for medicine
- patient rightsLegal protections for care recipients
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- privacyFreedom from observation
research ethics · racial inequality · autonomy · justice · genetic privacy · human subjects · reparations · acknowledgment
Engineering using living systems
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- cloningMaking identical copies
- CRISPRGene-editing molecular machinery
- gene editingTargeted DNA alteration
transfection · genomics · vaccine development · monoclonal antibodies · pharmaceuticals · bioengineering · synthetic biology · cancer research
Record of past ailments
- African AmericanU.S. Black ethnic identity
- BaltimoreMajor Maryland seaport
- 1951Year after 1950
- tobacco farmerCultivator of smokable leaves
commemoration · biography · documentary · Oprah Winfrey · recognition
immortal
Cannot die
- cell linePropagated cells from ancestor
- cultureCollective social practices
- cervical cancerMalignancy of the womb's opening
contamination · laboratory · in vitro · cell division · proliferation · passage · growth medium · incubator · flask · petri dish
informed consent
Permission given with understanding
- bioethicsMoral philosophy for medicine
- patient rightsLegal protections for care recipients
- exploitationSelfish use of others
privacy · research ethics · racial inequality · autonomy · justice · genetic privacy · human subjects · reparations · acknowledgment · Johns Hopkins
biotechnology
Engineering using living systems
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- cloningMaking identical copies
- CRISPRGene-editing molecular machinery
gene editing · transfection · genomics · vaccine development · monoclonal antibodies · pharmaceuticals · bioengineering · synthetic biology · cancer research · drug testing
medical history
Record of past ailments
- African AmericanU.S. Black ethnic identity
- BaltimoreMajor Maryland seaport
- 1951Year after 1950
tobacco farmer · commemoration · biography · documentary · Oprah Winfrey · recognition