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Johns Hopkins hospital takes cells from Henrietta Lacks to add to their growing collection of samples used by Dr. George Gey to research immortal cell cultures. Without her knowledge the hospital too both malignant and healthy cells from the cervix of cancer ridden Henrietta. The malignant cells taken from this sample were the first immortal human cells and continue to live today.
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The Polio epidemic was on the rise and James Salk stated he had come up with a vaccine, a vaccine that would save millions. Monkey cells used to test the vaccines effectiveness were extremely costly making testing much slower. HeLa cells however were everywhere and coincidentally very vulnerable to the Polio virus. Scientists were now able to test the vaccines effectiveness quickly and effectively.
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HeLa cells become the first human cells to be cloned. The research done as a result of this advancement lead to cell isolation, animal cloning and more. Some at the time believed humans would be cloned in the future as a result of this discovery.
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Chester Southam in an attempt to find a cure for cancer injected prisoners with the HeLa cancerous cells. HeLa cells only furthered the growth of cancer in patients already sick and was able to be fought off in the environment of healthy individuals. This knowledge made people believe there could soon be a way to stop cancer.
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HeLa cells are fused with mouse cells for the first time. This fusion created the first human-animal hybrid cells. These studies later lead to the research of different genes and associated factors in both humans and animals.
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The "HeLa Bomb" was the knowledge that HeLa cells had infected many different unrelated cell lines due to its easy transfer between cell cultures. Scientists were unaware of how easy HeLa cells could transfer and as a result research projects all over were ruined due to contamination.
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While at Johns Hopkins for what they though was a test for cancerous genes the Lacks children were used by the doctors. Doctors lied to the family and took samples from the children to further their research into the HeLa cells and how they differed from average human cells. This research lead more understanding of how malignant cells compared to healthy.
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Tuberculosis DNA was injected into HeLa cells and observed to better understand how Tuberculosis impacts human cells.
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This healthcare act makes it illegal for doctors and other healthcare workers to publicize personal medical information. Law suits and insurance acts are on the rise in relation to patients information security like this one and patient consent. The Lacks family started this reaction when they tried to fight for rights to their mothers information and cells.
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HeLa cells are still being used today especially in chemotherapy studies. Since HeLa cells are cancerous researchers are trying to use them to understand how to treat tumors and cancers that don't react to radiation and chemotherapy. Injecting HeLa cells into these cancerous cells and tissues are helping to keep making medical advancements some 70 years after Henriettas' death.