CNS HeLa cell experiments and ethics
What do scientists think we will be able to do with HeLa cells in the future, and is it ethical?
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Background:
Shanna Freeman, author of How HeLa Cells Work, says,"It's a line, or population, of cells, taken from a person and used in scientific research. Cell lines are often named after the people they were originally derived, and HeLa comes from the first two letters in the name Henrietta Lacks." This explains why HeLa cells are named the way they are. The University of Minnesota, Health Talks explains the ethics of HeLa cells, Debruin, a speaker representing the university, states, ""Researchers can take away an awareness of the impact that research can have on people. Hearing a story like Henrietta Lack's takes us out of a purely scientific research perspective and shows us how research matters and effects peoples' lives. you can step outside your own view and understand the issues in a more robust way,"" (Health Talks, 10). Henrietta Lacks is inspiring people to find out the whole story and question the ethics of biotechnology. Shanna Freeman also states, "it is the first line of human cells to survive in vitro (in a test tube). Dr. grey (the man who first studied HeLa cells) quickly realized that Lack's cells were different from normal cells. while those died, lack's cells just kept growing. After more than 60 years, there are now billions of HeLa cells in laboratories all over the world. Its the most commonly used cell line," (How HeLa cells work, 13). HeLa cells are very easy to get ahold of now. Consent is also a very important ethical issue. The University of Minnesota describes this in the quote , "Henrietta Lacks never gave consent for her tissue samples to be used in research. and her family didn't either... her cells are still being used 60 years later, after the initial sample was collected," (Health Talk, 3). now, consent is required in all medical practices. Freeman also describes some experiments using HeLa cells, "In the early 1950's, the U.S.A was stricken by a fear of contracting the infectious paralytic disease called Polio. Outbreaks were on the rise, with about 60,000 cases in 1952 and there was a huge push to come up with a vaccine. that year, researcher Jonas Salk created the vaccine, and part of the testing process used HeLa cells," (How HeLa cells work, 19). there was a massive demand for a vaccine at this time, and researchers like Jonas Salk made a lot of money.
Shanna Freeman, author of How HeLa Cells Work, says,"It's a line, or population, of cells, taken from a person and used in scientific research. Cell lines are often named after the people they were originally derived, and HeLa comes from the first two letters in the name Henrietta Lacks." This explains why HeLa cells are named the way they are. The University of Minnesota, Health Talks explains the ethics of HeLa cells, Debruin, a speaker representing the university, states, ""Researchers can take away an awareness of the impact that research can have on people. Hearing a story like Henrietta Lack's takes us out of a purely scientific research perspective and shows us how research matters and effects peoples' lives. you can step outside your own view and understand the issues in a more robust way,"" (Health Talks, 10). Henrietta Lacks is inspiring people to find out the whole story and question the ethics of biotechnology. Shanna Freeman also states, "it is the first line of human cells to survive in vitro (in a test tube). Dr. grey (the man who first studied HeLa cells) quickly realized that Lack's cells were different from normal cells. while those died, lack's cells just kept growing. After more than 60 years, there are now billions of HeLa cells in laboratories all over the world. Its the most commonly used cell line," (How HeLa cells work, 13). HeLa cells are very easy to get ahold of now. Consent is also a very important ethical issue. The University of Minnesota describes this in the quote , "Henrietta Lacks never gave consent for her tissue samples to be used in research. and her family didn't either... her cells are still being used 60 years later, after the initial sample was collected," (Health Talk, 3). now, consent is required in all medical practices. Freeman also describes some experiments using HeLa cells, "In the early 1950's, the U.S.A was stricken by a fear of contracting the infectious paralytic disease called Polio. Outbreaks were on the rise, with about 60,000 cases in 1952 and there was a huge push to come up with a vaccine. that year, researcher Jonas Salk created the vaccine, and part of the testing process used HeLa cells," (How HeLa cells work, 19). there was a massive demand for a vaccine at this time, and researchers like Jonas Salk made a lot of money.
Thesis: Although experiments with HeLa cells can be thought to be unethical, it is more beneficial to take risks now, than suffer the consequences of not taking the risk, in the future.