Adherent Hela cells

Hela cells are an adherent cell line; that is they stick to the bottom of the cell culture flask. They are able to rapidly grow till the cells come in contact with each other and then they stop growing. They usually spread across the surface of the flask and when two adjacent cells come in contact with each other, they stop growing, a phenomena called “contact inhibition”. This growth pattern in a classic growth pattern of oncogenic cells. The doubling time for Hela cells are approximately 24 hours.
Watch adherent Hela cells in cell culture.

Hela cell culture protocol

Hela cells can be grown to the appropriate density usually 70% in a humidified chamber at 37°C, 5% CO2. HeLa cells in many labs are cultured in 75 cm2 flasks (or medium flasks). HeLa cells are grown in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium with10% fetal bovine serum (FCS) and 1% MEM non-essential amino acids with penicillin-streptomycin at 1% is added to the culture media.

They can also be maintained in RPMI1640 containing penicillin-streptomycin, nonessential amino acids, sodium pyruvate, L-glutamine and 10% fetal calf serum and incubated in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2 at 37°C.

HeLa cell culture

Hela cells are an adherent cell line meaning that after being seeded in flasks it will adhere to the bottom of the container.

HeLa cell division

Hela cells dividing. As long as there are appropriate media, the Hela cells will divide indefinitely.

HeLa cells dividing

A Woman’s Undying Gift to Science

The best book blurb I’m aware of came from Roy Blount Jr., who said about Pete Dexter’s 1988 novel, “Paris Trout”: “I put it down once to wipe off the sweat.” I’m not sure I know what that means. Was the sweat on Mr. Blount’s forehead? On the dust jacket? On the inside of his fogged-up reading glasses? But I like it.
I put down Rebecca Skloot’s first book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” more than once. Ten times, probably. Once to poke the fire. Once to silence a pinging BlackBerry. And eight times to chase my wife and assorted visitors around the house, to tell them I was holding one of the most graceful and moving nonfiction books I’ve read in a very long time.

Read the rest of the story on Hela cells and Lacks.

Henrietta Lacks: A Donor's Immortal Legacy

In 1951, an African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. She was treated at Johns Hopkins University, where a doctor named George Gey snipped cells from her cervix without telling her. Gey discovered that Lacks' cells could not only be kept alive, but would also grow indefinitely.

For the past 60 years Lacks' cells have been cultured and used in experiments ranging from determining the long-term effects of radiation to testing the live polio vaccine. Her cells were commercialized and have generated millions of dollars in profit for the medical researchers who patented her tissue.

Lacks' family, however, didn't know the cell cultures existed until more than 20 years after her death. Medical writer Rebecca Skloot examines the legacy of Lacks' contribution to science — and effect that has had on her family — in her new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

List to Medical writer Rebecca Skloot examining the legacy of Lacks' contribution to science.