NIH to open access to landmark HeLa cells

Biomedical researchers will now be able to apply for access to the whole genome data of an important cell line known as HeLa. The National Institutes of Health made the announcement in Nature Wednesday that the agency has come to an agreement with the family of the late Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman whose enduring cells have contributed to the development of modern vaccines, cancer treatments and in vitro fertilization techniques, among other medical advances. Story