HeLa Cell Line

HeLa cells are the first immortalized human cell line, originating from a tissue sample taken from Henrietta Lacks at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. Unlike normal cells, HeLa cells can divide indefinitely, making them an essential tool in medical research for over seven decades.

Because HeLa cells replicate autonomously in laboratory settings, they are produced and distributed globally by various biological resource centers and commercial biotech firms. Major suppliers include the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) in the United States and specialized biotech companies like Ubigene, which provide standardized cultures for scientific experimentation. Ownership of the biological material is not centralized under a single brand; rather, the cells are considered a foundational biological resource used by institutions and companies worldwide.