Human Tumor Cell Lines
Tumor cell lines (or cancer cell lines) are derived from the cancerous growths on an organ in a human or animal subject. These cell lines have undergone laboratory modifications that render them immortalized—they are capable of proliferating indefinitely in an in vitro environment. For that reason, tumor cell lines have become invaluable tools in the field of cancer research. History of Human Cancer Cell Lines In the first half of the 20th century, various experiments demonstrated that animal cell lines could be maintained in an in vitro environment. The first human cell line was established in 1951, from cervical carcinoma cells taken from 30-year-old Henrietta Lacks. The HeLa cell line , as it’s called, is regarded as a major milestone in medical history, being not only the first immortalized cell line but also an important aid in the development of the polio vaccine. In 1990, the U.S. National Cancer Institute officially ...