--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The American Type Culture Collection—a…" description: "\"“The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeL..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ee/rebecca-skloot-15335_atcc_the-american-type-culture-collection-a-n_218305.png" --- # The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose… ![“The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeLa since the sixties. When this book went to press, their price per vial was $256. The ATCC won’t reveal how much money it brings in from HeLa sales…” quote by Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ee/rebecca-skloot-15335_atcc_the-american-type-culture-collection-a-n_218305.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ee/rebecca-skloot-15335_atcc_the-american-type-culture-collection-a-n_218305.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ee/rebecca-skloot-15335_atcc_the-american-type-culture-collection-a-n_218305.png) > ““The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeLa since the sixties. When this book went to press, their price per vial was $256. The ATCC won’t reveal how much money it brings in from HeLa sales each year, but since HeLa is one of the most popular cell lines in the world, that number is surely significant.”” [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ATCC sells HeLa cells, a valuable research tool, at high prices, generating significant revenue while providing essential pure cultures for science. **In simple terms:** HeLa cells are sold for profit, supporting research. Key Takeaway Recognize the ethical and financial dimensions of biological resources. Themes science ethics commerce biology research Mood thoughtful critical Type informative analytical When to use this quote - laboratory budgeting - policy discussion - public awareness - academic research - industry partnership Key Concepts cell culture profit model resource allocation Questions to Reflect On - How should profit be balanced with public good in scientific resources? - What policies could ensure fair access to essential cell lines? A Different Perspective Revenue figures are undisclosed, raising transparency concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hela/) [Henrietta-lacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/henrietta-lacks/) [Medical research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-research/) ## Related quotes > [“Everyone in the audience knew what that meant. On top of saying they’d possibly wasted more than a decade and millions of research dollars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/everyone-in-the-audience-knew-what-that-meant-on-top-of-saying-they-d/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Ultimately the judge threw Moore’s suit out of court, saying he had no case. Ironically, in his decision, the judge cited the HeLa cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/ultimately-the-judge-threw-moore-s-suit-out-of-court-saying-he-had-no/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“I’ve tried to imagine how she’d feel knowing that her cells went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/i-ve-tried-to-imagine-how-she-d-feel-knowing-that-her-cells-went-up/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Henrietta’s were different: they reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped. They became the first immortal human cells ever grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/henrietta-s-were-different-they-reproduced-an-entire-generation-every/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Day wouldn’t have understood the concept of immortal cells or HLA markers coming from anyone, accent or not—he’d only gone to school for four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/day-wouldn-t-have-understood-the-concept-of-immortal-cells-or-hla/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/since-the-common-rule-says-that-research-subjects-must-be-allowed-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) ## More by Rebecca Skloot > [Only cells that had been transformed by a virus or a genetic mutation had the potential to become immortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/only-cells-that-had-been-transformed-by-a-virus-or-a-genetic-mutation/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [Good science is all about following the data as it shows up and letting yourself be proven wrong, and letting everything change while you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/good-science-is-all-about-following-the-data-as-it-shows-up-and/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Today an estimated 13 percent of birds are threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 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He would become known as a vigilante who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/nelson-rees-had-since-been-hired-by-the-national-cancer-institute-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“THE SKY ABOVE northeast India looked like mango skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-sky-above-northeast-india-looked-like-mango-skin/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [Often doctors didn't even tell you what was wrong with you. They just treated you, and sent you home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/often-doctors-didn-t-even-tell-you-what-was-wrong-with-you-they-just/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/we-must-not-see-any-person-as-an-abstraction-instead-we-must-see-in/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Ultimately the judge threw Moore’s suit out of court, saying he had no case. Ironically, in his decision, the judge cited the HeLa cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/ultimately-the-judge-threw-moore-s-suit-out-of-court-saying-he-had-no/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [The laws are still very unclear. Cells are still taken from people without consent - a lot of people don't realize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-laws-are-still-very-unclear-cells-are-still-taken-from-people/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [But I tell you one thing, I don't want to be immortal if it mean living forever, cause then everybody else just die and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/but-i-tell-you-one-thing-i-don-t-want-to-be-immortal-if-it-mean/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“HeLa cells were one of the most important things that happened to medicine in the last hundred years,” Defler said. Then, matter-of-factly, almost as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/hela-cells-were-one-of-the-most-important-things-that-happened-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) [Explore all 43 Rebecca Skloot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) ## More Atcc quotes > [“Everyone in the audience knew what that meant. On top of saying they’d possibly wasted more than a decade and millions of research dollars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/everyone-in-the-audience-knew-what-that-meant-on-top-of-saying-they-d/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) Browse all 2 Atcc quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeLa since the sixties. 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