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Cervical cancer cells
HeLa cells, which are cancerous cervical cells, were the first immortal human cell line to be cultivated. The original cells were derived from cervical cancer cells isolated from Henrietta Lacks in 1951. They are shown stained with fluorescent Hoechst dye, which turns their nuclei blue.
cell culture
biology
cell culture, the maintenance and growth of the cells of multicellular organisms outside the body in specially designed containers and under precise conditions of temperature, humidity, nutrition, and freedom from contamination. In a broad sense, cells, tissues, and organs that are isolated and maintained in the laboratory are considered the objects of tissue culture. The techniques of cell culture have allowed scientists to use cultures of cells for experimental studies and for biological assays of many types. See tissue culture.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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