HeLa

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] The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on 8 February, 1951,[3] from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African-American mother of five, who died of cancer on 4 October 1951, and after whom they are named.[4] The cell line is durable and prolific, allowing it to be used extensively in scientific study.[5][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.