What Are Hela Cells And How Were They First Obtained

What are HeLa cells and how were they first obtained? HeLa cells are the first immortal human cells. These cells came from Henrietta Lacks’ cervix before she died. 2) Why are HeLa cells unusual? HeLa cells â€Å"reproduce an entire generation every 24 hours.† These cells have been around for many years. 3) Discuss 2-3 scientific studies that have utilized HeLa cells. Although Henrietta’s cells came from her tumor when she suffered from cancer, her cells have helped create different medicines for many diseases. HeLa cells have developed medications for Influenza, Herpes, Leukemia, Hemophilia and Parkinson’s disease. Her cells have also been used in studies referring to lactose digestion, human longevity, sexually transmitted diseases and more. 4) Why are HeLa cells controversial? Doctors had removed the cells without permission from the Lacks family or Henrietta herself. They were propagated and more than 20 years later Henrietta’s family lear ned about this situation. 5) Who was Henrietta Lacks? Henrietta Lacks was a poor, African American farmer, a mother of 5, and wife who suffered from cervical cancer. Her cells have helped change the world of medicine. 6) What is the feeling of her family about the use of HeLa cells? The Lacks family was not informed that Henrietta’s cells were being used in research. They learned this 25 years later and theyShow MoreRelatedResearch Papet1558 Words   |  7 Pages(Henrietta Lacks)HeLa Cell Lines Medical researchers use laboratory-grown human cells to learn the intricacies of how cells work and test theories about the causes and treatment of diseases. The cell lines they need are â€Å"immortal†Ã¢â‚¬â€they can grow indefinitely, be frozen for decades, divided into different batches and shared among scientists. In 1951, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, created the first immortal human cell line with a tissue sample taken from a young blackRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot Essay1611 Words   |  7 PagesWhen I first began reading the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot, I expected it to only be about the science behind HeLa cells, which I didn’t find particularly exciting. Except, I was proven very wrong. I have not been able to put this book down, for Rebecca Skloot is a remarkable writer who entices the reader with the emotional story of Henrietta Lacks and her family. It is true that there were quite a few scientific studies included within this book, but theyRead MoreThe Invention Of The Polio Vaccine920 Words   |  4 PagesWe all have been exposed, healed, or touched by the cells of a woman whose name we never knew. Her name was Henrietta Lacks. She was an African-American woman who died of an aggressive form of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins in 1951. Her cells were taken without her consent nor the consent of her family members after her death and used for research from the effects of cosmetics to the formation of the polio vaccine. The cells, tagged as â€Å"HeLa† by the scientist who received them at Johns HopkinsRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks1573 Words   |  7 Pagesstory about the revolutionary HeLa cancer cells is told through the lives of the Lacks family and the multiple scientists and doctors that were part of one of the greatest breakthroughs of medical research in the twentieth century. The tale of the in famous and immortal HeLa cells was not just a scientific one, but one that involved struggle, confusion, ethical transgressions, and legal issues. Skloot writes about the life of Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cancer cells as well as her own researchRead MorePsy305 Ethical Principles1361 Words   |  6 Pages(Loretta) Pleasant, born in August of 1920 in Roanoke, VA, was an African American woman who was raised by her grandfather in a small cabin on a plantation. At the age of 14, she gave birth to her first child, a son, followed by a daughter four years later. She married the father of her children, her first cousin David Lacks, shortly thereafter. After having moved to Maryland for work, the couple had three other children. The last, Joseph, was born in November of 1950, and two months later, in JanuaryRead MoreImportance Of Consent And Its Effects On Medical History931 Words   |  4 Pagesthe mid-1900’s that anyone started really investigating how medical researche r obtained their materials thus their unethical practices were discovered. Doctors took patient’s samples for research as â€Å"payment† for the treatment without asking for consent. It has been proposed that everyone should donate tissue samples out of obligation to allow scientist the chance to make further advancements, and the patients will be compensated based on how significant the breakthrough is. David Korn, vice provostRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks1883 Words   |  8 Pagessprung of immortal HeLa cells’ exploitation. The research involving HeLa cells has changed the landscape of medical study, leading to scientific and medical breakthroughs that continues today. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of breast cancer and leukemia; helped lead to important advances in vitro fertilization, cloning, genetic hybrids, gene mapping in virology, scientific standards, live cell transport, for profit distributi on of cells, space biology, salmonellaRead MoreWe Are Enjoying Your Day Off1509 Words   |  7 Pagessay I am not looking forward to the clean up as snow predictions are well beyond what was originally anticipated. I know many of you are using this time to prepare and reflect for another day of teaching. Today, I am thinking about our students and content exposure and would like to share. Please don t take this as a statement that we are not doing something, rather take it as a statement of getting better at what we do. Each day, Dr. Bongo shares a black history fact that many of you are sharingRead MoreStem Cell Research603 Words   |  2 PagesStem cell research is a controversial topic and this paper will talk about both sides of the controversy. The controversy started back in 1998 when the first successful culturing of human embryonic stem cells was performed. The research surrounding stem cells has been the center of a huge debate mainly because of ethics and morals. A stem cell is an immature cell (not a full human yet) that has the potential to become specialized into different types of cells throughout the body. There areRead MoreReflective Paper On Henrietta Lacks3537 Words   |  15 Pagesstory behind the HeLa cells. This book was written by Rebecca Skloot who got interested in HeLa cells while sitting in her biology class. The book is not just about HeLa cells, it is a great material to see the life of the HeLa cell’s donor, Henrietta Lacks, and the HeLa cells impact on modern medicine as well as the Lacks family and their life long struggles to make peace with the existence of those cells (Skloot, 2011). Ethics  is the study of right and wrong. It explores what one might do when