HeLa
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Biology
| Stands for | Henrietta Lacks (cell line) |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
HeLa stands for Henrietta Lacks (cell line), a biology abbreviation.
The first immortal human cell line, derived in 1951 from cervical cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital. HeLa cells divide indefinitely and have been used in research leading to the polio vaccine, cancer and HPV studies, and tens of thousands of scientific papers.
Example: HeLa cells were treated with the drug for 24 hours before imaging.
Usage notes
Her cells were taken and grown by George Gey's laboratory without her knowledge or consent, as was common at the time. Rebecca Skloot's 2010 book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks brought wide attention to the story, and in 2023 her family settled a lawsuit with Thermo Fisher Scientific. HeLa contamination has compromised many other cell lines.
Related abbreviations
More biology abbreviations
- GFP – Green fluorescent protein
- GM – Genetically modified
- GMO – Genetically modified organism
- GPCR – G protein-coupled receptor
- GTP – Guanosine triphosphate
- HEK293 – Human embryonic kidney 293 cells
- HGT – Horizontal gene transfer
- IF – Immunofluorescence
- Ig – Immunoglobulin
- IgG – Immunoglobulin G
- IHC – Immunohistochemistry
- iPSC – Induced pluripotent stem cell