Monday, February 1, 2010

Immortal Cells

If it weren't for Henrietta Lacks we would not be where we are in the world of medicine today. Henrietta Lacks, was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and the doctor at John Hopkins took her cells, without her knowledge, and because of this we have "Hela" cells which was the first set of immortal human cell line known to medicine. The donor remained a mystery for sometime, but due to the leniency in privacy in the 1950s when Henrietta's cells were taken, the mystery donor was revealed. Lacks' cells have contributed to developing the polio vaccine and were used in gene mapping, cloning and in vitro fertilization.

By: Lindsay Weidling

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