HeLa
Oldest cultured human cell line (1951) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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HeLa (/ˈhiːlɑː/) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used.[1][2] HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study.[3][4] The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951,[5] from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African American mother of five, after whom the line is named. Lacks died of cancer on October 4, 1951.[6]
The cells from Lacks's cancerous cervical tumor were taken without her knowledge, which was common practice in the United States at the time.[7] Cell biologist George Otto Gey found that they could be kept alive,[8] and developed a cell line. Previously, cells cultured from other human cells would survive for only a few days, but cells from Lacks's tumor behaved differently.