BIOCAD demonstrated the use of HeLa cells in oncology research
BIOCAD demonstrated the use of HeLa cells in oncology research
HeLa
cell line, the most famous of all cell lines, is the first human cell line
derived in a laboratory, which is now used in biomedical research when new
drugs are developed. These cells are often referred to as “immortal”, as they
can divide indefinitely, live for decades, do not require any specific
environment for cultivation, can be frozen and preserved. These cells entered
the big science by chance. They were taken from Henrietta Lacks, a young
African-American woman who died of cervical cancer.
HELA CELLS
The
medical community knows this story very well, and its use in a theatrical
performance is a way to attract attention to the cancer issue, to emphasize the
need in constant prevention and early diagnostics of the disease.
“We
take part in this sociocultural project to help make people aware that there
are state-of-the-art cancer therapies in Russia, and so they can live without
fear. In Russia, several million patients live with cancers, so BIOCAD, being a
socially responsible company, wants them to know about new, affordable, and
effective therapies. HeLa cell line has contributed to the development of these
new therapies, since it was derived over 60 years ago. The main principles of
working with cell cultures were formulated back then, and this enabled the
development of many modern directions of biotechnology and medicine. Today,
scientists discover and test effective medicinal products using hundreds of
various immortalized cell lines, and HeLa cells helped to decipher the
mechanisms of malignant tumour growth and to develop methods of molecular
diagnostics” – says Irina Kenyukhova, Head of Communications in BIOCAD.
BIOCAD
representatives claim that the Installment is based on significant amount of
research and uses only reliable data: “Science is on par with art, and we hope
this project will help the society to realize that science should become the
theme of socially relevant plays.”
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