It
is incredible how quickly cells can grow in a matter of weeks. To be able to
produces trillions of HeLa cells from a sample taken from Henrietta is an
outstanding number. Scientific research has come a long way since the largest
polio epidemic in 1951. This was a frightening time for millions of families
because there was a drastic need for a vaccine. During this time period “scientists
were just beginning to understand viruses, so as Henrietta’s cells arrived in
labs around the country, researchers began exposing them to viruses of all
kinds.” (Skloot, 98) Her cells helped to create a huge difference in the
scientific field. Numerous improvements were made especially regarding the
topic of freezing cells without causing harm. This was a breakthrough because it
allowed her cells to successfully transfer from one country to another without an
alteration. It was known that HeLa was also being used in the field of human
genetics, and as all of these developments kept progressing, the request for
HeLa rose. I think it is incredible that Henrietta’s sample created such a
spark in scientific research. The impact her cells have made to science has
truly saved so many lives.
Word Count: 200
Skloot, Rebecca. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" New York. Broadway Paperbacks, Crown Publishing, 2010. Print.
“By the end of 1951 the world was in the midst of the biggest polio epidemic in history.”(Skloot 93)
ReplyDeleteThe polio epidemic was devastating taking thousands of lives in it way. To make sure they could find a cure without killing more people in the process they had to find cells that could reproduce into trillions. Gey took this advantage to introduce the Hela cells. Started the process funded by the NFIP to make trillions of cells. Hela was the cheapest and fastest way to test vaccines to see if they would be harmful to people. They were able to reproduce trillions of the cells and try different vaccines until they found out the one that would destroy the polo without destroying the good cells we have in our body. Hela cells in this process help to save millions of people life by making the first polio vaccine possible. In this process not only did it made possible the polio vaccine, but in the process scientist where able to discover new things to do with the vaccine that later on help with making other vaccines and possible and learn more about our how our white and red blood cells work. A very important process that they discover in making the vaccine, scientist figure out how to make the cells freeze so they could stop and capture every stage of the cells changing process. (Word Count 214)
“The timing was perfect: by chance, soon after the NFIP contacted Gey for help, he realized that Henrietta’s cells grew unlike any human cells he’d seen.” (Skloot 94)
ReplyDeleteHeLa cells are really amazing and what makes it even more interesting is how the timing was perfect. At that time the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) was trying to organize the largest field trial ever conducted to test the polio vaccine, but there was something preventing them to realize this research, it was the cost. They used monkey cells to test if the vaccine would work or not, but the thing is that it would be necessary a massive number of monkeys to realize such a research, and monkeys were not cheap. That’s when HeLa cells first started to show how useful they would be, just like Aubrey said, it is amazing how her cells grow so fast, and when Gey and the NFIP realized that, they obviously knew what to do; instead of using expensive monkeys cells to test the vaccines, the NFIP would use those extremely fast growing cells. Henrietta made the research possible. I also like how you mentioned that since the HeLa cells became a big topic of discussion, science gave much more attention to this field of medicine, this increase in attention also increased investments and consequently caused many improvements that were really important for society.
Word Count: 203
“It was built for one reason: to help stop polio." (Skloot, 92)
ReplyDeleteAfter the sample of cells was taken from Henrietta, they multiplied into trillions in just a few weeks. This was a major breakthrough because at this time there was a huge polio epidemic going on and the treatments seemed to be futile. Not only were they dangerous and expensive, they seemed to be killing more than helping. However, this is where the HeLa cells come in because they reproduced so quickly and in such large numbers and they were also very inexpensive to produce. I completely agree with Aubrey when she says that these cells really are incredible and how Henrietta’s sample created such a spark in scientific research. After this discovery, the NFIP decided to quit wasting money on the monkeys they were using and instead switched to the HeLa cells. From these, the first effective polio vaccine was created. However, not only was the vaccine made but scientists were now digging deeper into this aspect of science and began learning about our blood cells and how they work and interact with one another and this paved the way for even more advances in medicine. Therefore, although the topic of taking Henrietta’s cells is very controversial, I believe that it was one of the most important decisions in history. It saved millions of lives and advanced science and medicine at a faster pace. (word count: 224)