Those cells that I have been splitting and taking care of are apparently one of the most famous cell lines ever. They are called HeLa cells, which stands for Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cells were taken for research without her permission. Every lab that uses HeLa cells are all using cells whose ancestry dates back to this woman. The cells have been in use for more than 60 years, which is almost twice the amount of time Henrietta was even alive. It was very controversial because both the cancerous and normal cells were taken without her knowledge or consent. However, these cells were particularly helpful for research because of their ability to survive after a few cell divisions. This allowed the scientists to perform more experiments rather than focusing on keeping the cells alive. Her cells have been used to research everything from the cure to polio to potential treatments for AIDS to potential sensitivity to miscellaneous products like make-up or glue.
Yesterday I watched a bit of a procedure that purified RNA, DNA, and protein from brain tissue. It involved a lot of washing via copious centrifuging. The wash would drag the smaller particles through a filter during the centrifuge, leaving the RNA in the top portion of the container. The DNA was in the process of being separated from each other in a different centrifuge.
Hopefully we will be able to count the PLAP protein from our cells by the end of the week, but I really don't know.
No comments:
Post a Comment