Continued Use of HeLa Cells in Research

     Whether the continued use of the HeLa cell line is ethical or unethical, the advancements yielded from their use are undeniably remarkable.  A very large portion of the progress made in the medical field can be credited to HeLa.  For example, HeLa cells were used in creating the first polio vaccine, aided in cloning and gene mapping, and they were even sent into outer space.  “In the early fifties, scientists were beginning to understand viruses, so as Henrietta’s cells arrived in labs around the country, researchers began exposing them to viruses of all kinds – herpes, measles, mumps, fowl pox, equine encephalitis – to study how each one entered cells, reproduced, and spread” (Skloot 2010).  Without the discovery of these “immortal” cells, advancements in virology and other science fields would not have progressed as much and the world we live in now could be completely different. 

     Research for an alternative form of treatment for tumors has been performed using HeLa cells.  “It is based on a photochemical reaction of a photosensitizer, irradiation, and O2 which converts to cytotoxic 102 and other forms of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In our study we investigated the phototoxicity of the two-porphyrin photosensitizers, TPPS4 and MgTPPS4, on HeLa cells” (Binder, Kolarova, Tomankova, et al., 2010).  This type of therapy causes either apoptosis; naturally occurring death, or necrosis; caused by external factors, which leads to DNA damage in the tumor.  The researchers used varying concentrations of the photosensitizer, which is a light-absorbing substance that initiates a photochemical reaction to another substance, and different doses of radiation on the HeLa cells to determine which one caused the most DNA damage.  It was concluded that the photosensitizers with a concentration higher than five micro-molar created a lot of DNA fragmentation.  This study demonstrates how HeLa cells are used for cancer research and how they can help create new treatment options for cancer patients.  It also shows that HeLa cells are still a widely used cell line in medical research.