Populations of cells derived from a specific cell or tissue in an organism, for example the human kidney. The cells are cultured (and often immortalisedImmortalised cells are those which grow and divide indefinitely, due to genetic mutation or targeted) to create the cell line, which is made up of close to identical cells from the initial sample.Cell lines can be easily purchased through suppliers or created within a laboratory group. For decades, they have made a fantastic tool in biology and led to the discovery of many biological phenomena, however caveats surrounding the use of cell lines remain. A common cell line used in labs around the world today is the HeLa cell line. These are cells that came from a woman named Henrietta Lack in the 1950’s. Henrietta had cervical cancer and the cells were taken from a tumour and made into a cell line without her consent or knowledge. This case sparked world-wide debates about ethics and the management of patient samples.
