Crucial and yet Controversial: WI-38 Cells
• Many people are aware of the history behind HeLa cells; isolated from Henrietta Lacks and used today in thousands of laboratories (http://goo.gl/eOPRW
). But did you know about WI-38
cells? Isolated in June 1962 by Leonard Hayflick
, these cells came from a legally aborted fetus in Sweden.
• Isolated at a time when the law did not require consent for the use of tissues in research
, there is likely no recourse for the parents of the fetus or their heirs for compensation. Sigma Aldrich, a biotechnology company currently charges $424 for a vial of these cells
• Unlike HeLa cells which are a cervical cancer cell line, the WI-38 cells are normal
. These cells undergo a fixed number of cell divisions, usually 50 and then stop; a process known as cellular senescence
• WI-38 cells were an invaluable tool to culture various human viruses for the manufacture of vaccines; rubella, rabies, adenovirus, polio, measles, chickenpox and shingles vaccines
that have saved hundreds of millions of lives since.
• The controversy surrounding these cells still rages on today; because they are derived from an aborted fetus, many pro-life activists object to their use in research
. Ironically, "the rubella vaccine, developed using WI-38 cells, has prevented thousands more abortions than have ever been prevented by Catholic religionists" according to Professor Stanley Plotkin, the researcher who developed the rubella vaccine.
• These cells have a fascinating history, and the full article is well worth a read: http://www.nature.com/news/medical-research-cell-division-1.13273#comments
Image: Some original glass ampoules of WI-38 cells, created in 1962. Copyright Leonard Hayflick. #ScienceEveryday