wanted to share an interesting article.. just a touch about vaccines here. This is about the HeLa cell line.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...tal-Cells.html
This part made me a bit sad, but I guess I should not be surprised.
Quote:
| Why are her cells so important? Henrietta’s cells were the first immortal human cells ever grown in culture. They were essential to developing the polio vaccine. |
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...tal-Cells.html
This part made me a bit sad, but I guess I should not be surprised.
Quote:
| HeLa cells were the first human biological materials ever bought and sold, which helped launch a multi-billion-dollar industry. When Deborah’s brothers found out that people were selling vials of their mother’s cells, and that the family didn’t get any of the resulting money, they got very angry. Henrietta’s family has lived in poverty most of their lives, and many of them can’t afford health insurance. One of her sons was homeless and living on the streets of Baltimore. |
