HeLa cell

HeLa cell
One of the cells grown from the cervical cancer of a young African-American woman, Henrietta Lacks. HeLa cells were the first human cells to be continuously grown in culture. The cells were first cultured in February 1951 by Drs. George and Margaret Gey at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The cells appear "immortal" and are still used in medical research today. Who owns those cells? For many years, Lacks's children have sought recognition of their mother's contribution to science. The designation "HeLa" was taken from the name of Henrietta Lacks.

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hela cell 'hē-lə- n, often cap H & 1st L a cell of a continuously cultured strain isolated from a human uterine cervical carcinoma in 1951 and used in biomedical research esp. to culture viruses
Lacks 'laks Henrietta (fl 1951)
American hospital patient. Lacks was a patient with cancer of the cervix. In 1951 Dr. George O. Gey of Johns Hopkins University Medical School isolated cells from her cervical tumor. The hela (an acronym formed from the first two letters of her names, often given as the pseudonym Helen Lane or rarely as Helen Larson) cells still flourish in research laboratories all over the world.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • HeLa cell — ☆ HeLa cell [hē′lə ] n. [< He(nrietta) La(cks), from whose cervical cancer such cells were obtained in 1951] a strain of cells derived from the first carcinoma cells to be continuously maintained in culture: still used in cancer and biological …   English World dictionary

  • hela cell — ˈhēlə noun Usage: usually capitalized H & 1st L Etymology: after Henrietta Lacks died 1951 patient from whom the original cells were taken : a cell of a continuously cultured strain isolated from a human uterine cervical carcinoma and used in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • HeLa cell — /hel euh/, Biol. a vigorous strain of laboratory cultured cells descended from a human cervical cancer, used widely in research. Also, Hela cell, hela cell. [after He(nrietta) La(cks), a patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, from whom the …   Universalium

  • HeLa cell line — HeLa cell line. См. клеточная линия HeLa. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • HeLa cell line — /ˈhɛlə/ (say heluh) noun a human cell line widely used in scientific research, especially cancer research, because of the ability of the cells to divide an unlimited number of times in a laboratory culture. Also, Hela cell line, hela cell line.… …  

  • hela cell — noun Usage: often capitalized H & 1st L Etymology: Henrietta Lacks died 1951 patient from whom the cells were taken Date: 1953 a cell of a continuously cultured strain isolated from a human uterine cervical carcinoma in 1951 and used in… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • HeLa cell — He′La (or He′la or he′la) cell [[t]ˈhɛl ə[/t]] n. lab a vigorous strain of laboratory cultured cells descended from a human cervical cancer, used widely in research • Etymology: after He(nrietta) La(cks), a patient from whom the cancer tissue was …   From formal English to slang

  • HeLa cell adherence assay — a test for adherence of HeLa cells to strains of Escherichia coli; strains with positive adherence are more likely to cause diarrhea …   Medical dictionary

  • Cell culture — in a Petri dish Epithelial cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) an …   Wikipedia

  • HeLa — A HeLa cell (also Hela or hela cell) is an immortal cell line used in medical research. The cell line was derived from cervical cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks, who died from her cancer on October 4, 1951.George Otto Gey and Henrietta… …   Wikipedia

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