crash course what is a hela cell

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What are HeLa cells simple?

HeLa cells refer to a line of cells belonging to a strain that has been continuously cultured since 1951. Compared to other human cells, HeLa cells were (and still are) the only cells to survive in vitro. As such, they are often regarded as the first (and thus far, only) immortal human cells ever cultured.

What are HeLa cells and what are they used for?

HeLa cells are used to study the potential treatment benefits of a drug called Hydroxyurea against certain blood cancers and sickle cell anemia. Scientists note that when Hydroxyurea is applied to cancerous cells, cancer growth slows down.

What makes HeLa cells different from other cells?

HeLa cells, like many tumours, have error-filled genomes, with one or more copies of many chromosomes: a normal cell contains 46 chromosomes whereas HeLa cells contain 76 to 80 (ref) total chromosomes, some of which are heavily mutated (22-25), per cell.

Why are they called HeLa cells?

Henrietta's cancer cells became the first human “cell line” to be established in culture and Gey named them after the first two letters of her name – HeLa (pronounced “hee-la”).

Why are HeLa cells so important?

Over the past several decades, this cell line has contributed to many medical breakthroughs, from research on the effects of zero gravity in outer space and the development of polio and COVID-19 vaccines, to the study of leukemia, the AIDS virus and cancer worldwide.

Are HeLa cells still human?

HeLa cells, these researchers claim, are no longer human at all: they are single-celled microbes--closely related to us, to be sure, but their own distinct species. How so, you ask? HeLa cells are not connected in any way to people, explains evolutionary biologist Leigh Van Valen of the University of Chicago.

Why are HeLa cells controversial?

Though the HeLa cell line has contributed to many biomedical research advancements such as the polio vaccine, its usage in research has been controversial for many reasons, including that Lacks was a Black woman who did not knowingly donate her cells to science.

Are Henrietta Lacks cells still alive today?

Lacks died of cancer 60 years ago, but her cells -- taken without her knowledge or consent -- are still alive today.

How are HeLa cells used today?

Today, these incredible cells — nicknamed "HeLa" cells, from the first two letters of her first and last names — are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.

What did HeLa cells cure?

Eradicating polio At the time of Lacks's death, polio was one of the world's most devastating viral diseases. HeLa cells helped make the vaccine available sooner. In the early 1950s, Jonas Salk had already figured out how the vaccine worked; the problem was testing it.

How did HeLa cells become immortal?

Her cells also had an overactive telomerase enzyme. Our cells age with time, and the function of the telomerase enzyme, in simple terms, is to slow down the aging of our cells. Since she had an overactive telomerase enzyme, the HeLa cells never got old and died, thus making them immortal.

Can HeLa cells infect humans?

Over the years, HeLa cells have been infected with various types of viruses including HIV, Zika, herpes, and mumps to test and develop new vaccines and drugs. Dr. Richard Axel discovered that by adding the CD4 protein to HeLa cells, they were able to be infected with HIV, allowing the virus to be studied.

What are Henrietta Lacks cells used for today?

Today, these incredible cells — nicknamed "HeLa" cells, from the first two letters of her first and last names — are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.

Why are Henrietta's cells so important?

Why are her cells so important? Henrietta's cells were the first immortal human cells ever grown in culture. They were essential to developing the polio vaccine. They went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to cells in zero gravity.

Are Henrietta Lacks cells still alive today?

Lacks died of cancer 60 years ago, but her cells -- taken without her knowledge or consent -- are still alive today.

What vaccines did HeLa cells help create?

Eradicating polio At the time of Lacks's death, polio was one of the world's most devastating viral diseases. HeLa cells helped make the vaccine available sooner. In the early 1950s, Jonas Salk had already figured out how the vaccine worked; the problem was testing it.

What is a HeLa cell?

HeLa cells are the first immortal human cell line. The cells came from a cervical cancer sample obtained from Henrietta Lack in 1951, without her knowledge or permission. HeLa cells have led to many important scientific discoveries, yet there are disadvantages to working with them. HeLa cells have led to the examination ...

What are the achievements of HeLa cells?

Notable Achievements Using HeLa Cells. HeLa cells have been used to test the effects of radiation, cosmetics, toxins, and other chemicals on human cells. They have been instrumental in gene mapping and studying human diseases, especially cancer.

How many chromosomes are in HeLa?

Henrietta Lacks (and other humans) have 46 chromosomes (diploid or a set of 23 pairs), while the HeLa genome consists of 76 to 80 chromosome (hypertriploid, including 22 to 25 abnormal chromosomes). The extra chromosomes came from the infection by human papilloma virus that led to cancer. While HeLa cells resemble normal human cells in many ways, they are neither normal nor entirely human. Thus, there are limitations to their use.

What was the first immortal cell line?

The World's First Immortal Human Cell Line. HeLa cervical cancer cells were the first immortal cell line. HeitiPaves / Getty Images. Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Why don't HeLa cells die?

Researchers believe the reason HeLa cells don't suffer programmed death is because they maintain a version of the enzyme telomerase that prevents gradual shortening of the telomeres of chromosomes. Telomere shortening is implicated in aging and death.

When was HeLa created?

The cell line grew from a sample of cervical cancer cells taken from an African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks on February 8, 1951. The lab assistant responsible for the samples named cultures based on the first two letters of a patient's first and last name, thus the culture was dubbed HeLa. In 1953, Theodore Puck ...

How long does it take for a cell to die after a cell division?

Normally, human cell cultures die within a few days after a set number of cell divisions via a process called senescence. This presents a problem for researchers because experiments using normal cells cannot be repeated on identical cells (clones), nor can the same cells be used for extended study.

What was the HeLa cell used for?

HeLa cells and the roller-tube culture method were used in the fight against the poliovirus. Previously, the poliovirus was grown in nervous system tissue, but George Gey successfully managed to grow the poliovirus in HeLa cells, and this system was then utilized by John Enders and colleagues. Then, in 1954, Jonas Salk also used HeLa cells to grow the poliovirus, and this led to the development of the Salk polio vaccine.

Why are HeLa cells used in research?

HeLa cells were used for other research projects, from the search to identify the causative agent of AIDS, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the 1980s to modern “-omics” studies: genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.

How many studies have been carried out using HeLa cells?

It is estimated that as many as 70,000 studies have been carried out using HeLa cells, including two who have been awarded the Novel Prize: in 2008 for the discovery that the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a causative agent of cervical cancer, and in 2009 for the discovery of the telomerase enzyme, which protects the telomeres of the chromosome, thus preventing the degradation of the chromosome.

What is the first cell line to be established?

These cells can continuously divide given the right growth conditions. The first of these cell lines to be established is known as “HeLa cells”.

What made Henrietta Lacks’ tumor different from other tumors that had been brought to the laboratory?

What made Henrietta Lacks’ tumor different from other tumors that had been brought to the laboratory was that the cells grew robustly. Before this, it was possible to grow cells from cancer specimens, however, these usually did not last and died before studies could be completed.

What was the first cell line?

The first of these cell lines to be established is known as “HeLa cells”. This is a cell line established from a young African American woman named Henrietta Lacks who died of an aggressive cervical adenocarcinoma in 1951.

What is the medium used to grow Henrietta Lacks tumor?

Initially, this was provided by using a medium composed of chicken plasma, bovine embryo extract, and human placental cord serum in a continuous “roller-tube culture”.

What is HeLa cell?

The HeLa cell line was one of the first documented immortal cell lines, isolated from cervical cancer patient Henrietta Lacks in 1951 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. An immortal cell line is a cluster of cells that continuously multiply on their own outside of the original host. Though the HeLa cell line has contributed to many biomedical research advancements such as the polio vaccine, its usage in research has been controversial for many reasons, including that Lacks was a Black woman who did not knowingly donate her cells to science. In the article “HeLa Cells 50 Years On: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” Masters describes that, despite the benefits of the HeLa cell line, it has caused significant negative impacts on research due to its propensity to contaminate other cell lines, which can potentially invalidate research findings.

Why do HeLa cells cross-contaminate?

As such, what researchers thought were new human immortal cell lines were in fact more HeLa cells. Cross-contamination occurs in cell lines when the cells from one cell line are inadvertently mixed with the cells of another cell line. Cell line cross-contamination compromises the comparison of results between different laboratories because it diminishes reproducibility of data, which is important for researchers to validate their findings. If an experiment generates different results each time it is performed, then the data is not reliable, and the findings are not valid.

Why did Gey name the cell line HeLa?

Despite Gey’s scientific contributions, Masters asserts that by naming the cell line HeLa after Lacks – “He” for the first two letters of Henrietta and “La” for the first two letters of Lacks – Gey failed to preserve her complete anonymity, which he states was regrettable because there is no record that Lacks granted consent to the collection and use of her cells for science. Nevertheless, Masters states that it was not customary in 1951 to ask for written consent from patients. At the time, there was no legal precedent that would hold Gey responsible for his actions. As of 2021, there are strict requirements to ensure that physicians and researchers acquire and document patient consent, which Masters argues is due at least in part to the HeLa cell line story. Obtaining patient consent ensures that the patient is protected and is aware of the potential risks, benefits, or long-term consequences of their healthcare decisions.

What is the third section of the HeLa cell line?

In the third section, “The Bad,” Masters describes the HeLa cell line cross-contamination that occurred. In the fourth section, “The Ugly,” Masters documents how cross-contamination went unchecked by the scientific peer-review process and led to publications with problematic data.

What does Nelson-Rees claim about HeLa?

Masters claims that Nelson-Rees ruthlessly and relentlessly exposed HeLa cross-contaminants. In the fourth section, “The Ugly,” Masters asserts that the scientific community became ignorant, complacent, deceptive, and unchecked regarding their use of cell lines in their research.

When was HeLa created?

Masters also states that after the creation of the HeLa cell line in 1951, in just a few years, Gey distributed the cell line worldwide, and HeLa became the laboratory model for the study of not only cancer, but also biochemical pathways of normal and diseased human cells. Continuing in his second section, Masters claims ...

Why do human cells have a finite life span?

Healthy human cells have finite life spans because they have internal controls that regulate how many divisions each cell can undergo. However, some cancer cells are immortal, meaning they do not die after a set number of divisions, as a result of alterations that happen when cells become cancerous.

Why are HeLa cells used in cancer research?

The HeLa cell line was derived for use in cancer research. These cells proliferate abnormally rapidly, even compared to other cancer cells. Like many other cancer cells, HeLa cells have an active version of telomerase during cell division, which copies telomeres over and over again.

When were HeLa cells used?

HeLa cells were used by Jonas Salk to test the first polio vaccine in the 1950s. They were observed to be easily infected by poliomyelitis, causing infected cells to die. This made HeLa cells highly desirable for polio vaccine testing since results could be easily obtained. A large volume of HeLa cells were needed for the testing of Salk's polio vaccine, prompting the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) to find a facility capable of mass-producing HeLa cells. In the spring of 1953, a cell culture factory was established at Tuskegee University to supply Salk and other labs with HeLa cells. Less than a year later, Salk's vaccine was ready for human trials.

What is the oldest cell line?

HeLa ( / ˈhiːlɑː /; also Hela or hela) is an immortal cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is named after and derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African-American mother of five, who died of cancer on October 4, 1951.

Why are HeLa cells important?

HeLa cells have been used to study the expression of the papillomavirus E2 and apoptosis. HeLa cells have also been used to study canine distemper virus' ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines, which could play an important role in developing treatments for tumor cells resistant to radiation and chemotherapy.

How many times can HeLa cells divide?

HeLa cells, like other cell lines, are termed " immortal " in that they can divide an unlimited number of times in a laboratory cell culture plate as long as fundamental cell survival conditions are met (i.e. being maintained and sustained in a suitable environment).

What is a Hela microscope?

Nikon RTS2000MP custom laser scanning microscope. HeLa ( / ˈhiːlɑː /; also Hela or hela) is an immortal cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is named after and derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African-American mother ...

What is the HeLa cell line named after?

Before a leak to the public in the 1970s which revealed her true name, the "HeLa" cell line was mistakenly believed to have been named after a "Helen Lane" or "Helen Larson".

What It Means to Be Immortal

Notable Achievements Using Hela Cells

• HeLa cells have been used to test the effects of radiation, cosmetics, toxins, and other chemicals on human cells. They have been instrumental in gene mapping and studying human diseases, especially cancer. However, the most significant application of HeLa cells may have been in the development of the first polio vaccine. HeLa cells were used to ma...

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Disadvantages of Using Hela Cells

Issues of Consent and Privacy

References and Suggested Reading

Origin of Cell Lines – A Woman Named Henrietta Lacks

See more on news-medical.net

Out Into The World – Fighting Polio and Beyond

Contamination?

Further Reading