HeLa cells are notable for being what?

• A. The first bacterial cells cultured outside the body
• B. The first plant cells cultured for growth outside their tissue
• C. The first human cells to be grown outside the human body
• D. The first mouse cells cultured for genetic studies

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that HeLa cells were the first human cells to be grown outside the human body and kept alive for many generations, creating an immortal cell line. They came from cervical cancer tissue taken from Henrietta Lacks in 1951, and with proper culture they can divide indefinitely. This breakthrough gave scientists a reliable, renewable source of human cells for countless experiments, accelerating research in virology, cancer biology, genetics, and vaccine development. They are human cells, not bacteria, plant, or mouse cells, which is why this option best describes why HeLa cells are notable.