How did Jonas Salk use HeLa?

When Jonas Salk developed a vaccine, he needed to test it on a huge scale to ensure its safety. These tests involved the inoculation of 2 million children. Afterwards blood samples from the children were mixed with cultured cells and the poliovirus. Prior to HeLa, Salk used monkey cells in his tests. However, the cells died in the process, making the tests extremely expensive. These tests, directed by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, required a more economical cell line. Gey donated Henrietta's cells, which could grow very rapidly at a low cost. It was discovered, too, that HeLa cells were easily affected by the poliovirus, making them all the more suitable for testing (Skloot 93-95). Because of HeLa cells, large samples of the polio vaccine could be tested and countless lives were saved.