A best-selling book by Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, chronicles a unique 1951 case in which a woman’s cervical cancer cells were harvested and grown, although without her knowledge. The patient, Henrietta Lacks, died of cancer the same year, but her cancer cells are still alive in labs worldwide, where they are used for research; they are known as HeLa cells . For example, HeLa cells were used to determine that human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer. This finding resulted in a vaccine to prevent the transmission of human papillomavirus and decrease cervical cancer incidence.
Cancer cells do die when the host organism dies because they lack nutrients. Cancer cells are subject to the same needs as any other cell but look different. Their structure differs, mitosis occurs more frequently, and dedifferentiation is obvious. The heirs of Henrietta Lacks have been in court to determine the legal ownership of HeLa cells and, of course, who benefits financially from HeLa’s scientific results.
Discuss the moral, ethical, and emotional aspects involved in the isolation and continuous use of HeLa cells.
For full credits:
Format 5 points
Title/ 5 points
Provide your answers in 2 or 3 paragraphs/ 5 points
Minimum word count: 400/ 10 points
Clearly expressed ideas/ 5 points
Correct grammar/ 5 points
Original work/ 10 points
Cite as your write/ 5 points
References/ 5 points
Use the following concepts in your discussion.
Cell Cycle / 5 points
Mitosis / 5 points
Chromosome(s) / 5 points
Dedifferentiation / 5 points
Differentiation / 5 points
Mutation / 5 points
Apoptosis / 5 points
Checkpoints / 5 points
Interface / 5 points
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