What are HeLa cells? A cancer biologist explains
- Written by Ivan Martinez, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, West Virginia University
Cancer-causing viruses like HPV can cause cells to divide indefinitely and, in the case of Henrietta Lacks, become immortal.Tom Deerinck/NIH via Flickr, CC BY-NCIn an amazing twist of fate, the aggressive cervical cancer tumor that killed Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year old African American mother, became an essential tool that helped the biomedical...

