It's impossible to provide an exact number of HeLa cells existing today. They are present in labs around the world, continually being cultured and used for research.
While we can't give a precise count, here's why it's a difficult question and some relevant context:
- Distributed across labs globally: HeLa cells are a ubiquitous tool in biological and medical research. Numerous labs across the globe maintain their own cultures.
- Constant growth and usage: The cells are continually dividing and being used in experiments, so any specific number would be immediately outdated.
- Massive historical cultivation: The reference mentions that over 50 tons of HeLa cells have already been cultivated since their isolation. This gives a sense of the sheer quantity of these cells that have existed. This would translate to trillions upon trillions of cells.
- Ongoing research: They are still actively used in various scientific investigations, from cancer research to virology (as exemplified by their use in developing the polio vaccine).
Because of these factors, tracking the number of HeLa cells would be a logistical impossibility. Therefore, we can only say there are countless trillions of these cells existing in labs globally.
