Question

What is the position and reasons to support the position of Henrietta Lacks' Hela cells?  

Answer 1

HENRIETTA LACKS HELA CELLS .

In 1951 , a young mother of 5 named Henrietta lacks visited the Johns Hopkins Hospital complaining of vaginal bleeding . Upon examination , renowned gynecologist Dr. Howard Jones discovered a large , malignant tumor on her cervix. A sample of her cancer cells retrieved during a biopsy were sent to Dr . George Gey's nearby tissue lab. For years , Dr . Gey , a prominant cancer and virus researcher , had been collecting cells from all patients who came to the Johns Hopkins Hospital with cervical cancer , but each sample quickly died in Dr. Gey's lab. What he would discover was that Mrs . Lacks cells were unlike any of the others he had ever seen ; where other cells would die , Mrs. Lacks cells doubled every 20-24 hours . 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 . But in Lacks sample , the cell begin to divide , and found the culture survived indefinitely if given nutrients and a suitable environment . The original cells continued to mutate .

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 . They have been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons , to study the human genome , to learn more about how viruses work , and played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine .HeLa cells were used to maintain a culture of polio virus in human cells . In 1952 , Jonas Salk tested his polio vaccine on these cells and used them to mass- produce it .  These cells have been instrumental in gene mapping and studying human diseases , especially cancer .

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 .