By Mallory Wenk
Within biological research, no cell line is more recognized and used than the HeLa cell line, which is the first immortal human cell line established in culture and has been key in numerous medical breakthroughs over decades. Immortal cell lines are ideal for research, because they are able to be cultured indefinitely and their characteristics of being easy to culture due to their lack of extraction and being a homogenous group of genetically identical cells help provide consistent results in experiments. All immortal cell lines come from a certain set of mutations that keep them alive and dividing for generations.
HeLa cells both originated and are named after Henrietta Lacks; she was an African American woman who in 1951 checked into John Hopkins hospital to get treatment for a cervical tumor which her surgeon, Dr. George Grey, took a tissue sample from the tumor without her consent. His goal was to create an immortal cell line to further cancer treatments, Lack’s tissue culture was his first success, feeding the cells with a nutritional cocktail, the cells continued to divide at an exponential rate and the immortal cell line emerged. After this and Lack’s passing in 1952, the HeLa cell line has become an important tool for biomedical research given eh line’s ability to endlessly divide in laboratory conditions.
Due to increased number of chromosomes, 76-82 compared to a normal 46, and the numerous mutations in form of deletion, duplication, and translocation of genes, the HeLa cell line can double in number over 24 hours, making them ideal for robust research. Typical human cell cultures have limitations in terms of repeating their experiments with a constant group of identical cells given that the cells die after a certain number of divisions. In contrast, HeLa cells offer a greater amount of available repetitions and long term experiments for researchers. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that 110,000 publications between 1953 and 2018 mention the use of HeLa cells to make their breakthroughs. In 1954, Jonas Salk utilized HeLa cells to create his polio vaccine; they were used again in the 1980s to isolate and identify the HIV virus during the AIDS epidemic. Over the course of decades, countless experiments have used HeLa cells to better understand and treat different issues within the body, improving and saving lives. Two discoveries that HeLa cells were a crucial part of were awarded the Nobel prize, in 2002 and 2009.
The cell line has helped researchers develop drugs for leukemia, influenza, haemophilia, and Parkinson’s disease, while contributing to studies on lactose digestion, STDs, appendicitis, human longevity, and more. HeLa cells have even gone to space to better understand the effects of zero gravity on cells. Recently, the cells have been used to gain a better grasp on the effects of Covid - 19 virus replication within the human body. In addition to the medical discoveries and breakthroughs, HeLa cells and their story highlights the issue of informed consent in the healthcare industry.
The dictator of the NIH, in 2013, stated that Henrttia Lacks posthumously continues to advance and make contributions to science both in the impact of the HeLa cell line but also in modern policy and ethical thoughts that focus on prioritizing human subjects’ protection, privacy, and respect. Henrietta Lack’s memory lives on in the everdividing HeLa cell line attracted to numerous past discoveries and as a key resource in the understanding of causes and treatments for cancer.
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