{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:53:28Z","timestamp":1792788808107,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine","issue":"9","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2009,9,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 of an aggressive adenocarcinoma of the cervix. A tissue biopsy obtained for diagnostic evaluation yielded additional tissue for Dr George O. Gey's tissue culture laboratory at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, Maryland). The cancer cells, now called HeLa cells, grew rapidly in cell culture and became the first human cell line. HeLa cells were used by researchers around the world. However, 20 years after Henrietta Lacks' death, mounting evidence suggested that HeLa cells contaminated and overgrew other cell lines. Cultures, supposedly of tissues such as breast cancer or mouse, proved to be HeLa cells. We describe the history behind the development of HeLa cells, including the first published description of Ms Lacks' autopsy, and the cell culture contamination that resulted. The debate over cell culture contamination began in the 1970s and was not harmonious. Ultimately, the problem was not resolved and it continues today. Finally, we discuss the philosophical implications of the immortal HeLa cell line.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5858\/133.9.1463","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,12]],"date-time":"2021-02-12T11:01:33Z","timestamp":1613127693000},"page":"1463-1467","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":168,"title":["Henrietta Lacks, HeLa Cells, and Cell Culture Contamination"],"prefix":"10.5858","volume":"133","author":[{"given":"Brendan P.","family":"Lucey","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Reprints: Brendan P. Lucey, MD, Department of Neurology, Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, Nellis Air Force Base, 1400 N Las Vegas Blvd, Nevada 89191 (brendanlucey@hotmail.com)."},{"name":"From the Department of Neurology, Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (Dr Lucey); and the Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland (Dr Hutchins)."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Walter A.","family":"Nelson-Rees","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u2020\u2009Deceased. Dr Nelson-Rees, retired, contributed significantly to the manuscript before his death."},{"name":"From the Department of Neurology, Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (Dr Lucey); and the Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland (Dr Hutchins)."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grover M.","family":"Hutchins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the Department of Neurology, Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (Dr Lucey); and the Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland (Dr Hutchins)."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"3906","reference":[{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b1","unstructured":"Surgical Biopsy Number 92498.\n          \n          Baltimore, MD: Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital; 1951."},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227S","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9378(97)70379-X","article-title":"Record of the first physician to see Henrietta Lacks at the Johns Hopkins Hospital: history of the beginning of the HeLa cell line.","volume":"176","author":"Jones","year":"1997","journal-title":"Am J Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b3","unstructured":"Autopsy Protocol 23260.\n          \n          Baltimore, MD: Autopsy Records of The Johns Hopkins Hospital; 1951."},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b4","article-title":"Johns Hopkins\u2014the birthplace of tissue culture: the story of Ross G.","author":"Harvey"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b5","first-page":"516","article-title":"History of tissue culture at Johns Hopkins.","volume":"51","author":"Bang","year":"1977","journal-title":"Bull Hist Med"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b6","article-title":"Some Aspects of the Constitution and Behavior of Normal and Malignant Cells in Continuous Culture.","author":"Gey"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b7","article-title":"A Conspiracy of Cells: One Woman's Immortal Legacy and the Medical Scandal It Caused.","author":"Gold"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1058","DOI":"10.1126\/science.184.4141.1058","article-title":"HeLa cells: contaminating cultures around the world.","volume":"184","author":"Culliton","year":"1974","journal-title":"Science"},{"issue":"6","key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b9","first-page":"945","article-title":"George Otto Gey: the HeLa cell and a reappraisal of its origin.","volume":"38","author":"Jones","year":"1971","journal-title":"Obstet 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species-specific hemagglutination tests on \u201ctransformed,\u201d nontransformed, and primary cell cultures.","volume":"28","author":"Brand","year":"1962","journal-title":"J Natl Cancer Inst"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b17","article-title":"Genetic markers as tracers in cell culture.","author":"Gartler"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"750","DOI":"10.1038\/217750a0","article-title":"Apparent HeLa cell contamination of human heteroploid cell lines.","volume":"217","author":"Gartler","year":"1968","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"465","DOI":"10.1016\/0014-4827(70)90474-X","article-title":"Isoenzyme stability in human heteroploid cell lines.","volume":"61","author":"Auersperg","year":"1970","journal-title":"Exp Cell Res"},{"key":"2021021103010646100_i1543-2165-133-9-1463-b20","article-title":"Karyology of 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