Publications Involving HeLa Cells
A yearly tally of how many publications cited the use of HeLa cells appears in the chart below. It is interesting to note that in the first decade (1953-1963) of HeLa cell use, the most publications that occurred in any one year numbered only 127 (1963). As shown in the chart, there has been a strong and steady increase in the use of HeLa cells with a peak of approximately 6,200 publications in 2015. Please note that we have not finished compiling the statistics for the number of publications from 2016, 2017, and 2018. They will be updated shortly.
The continuous upward trend in publications since 1953 clearly show that even after six decades, HeLa cells are a vital tool that allow scientists to conduct essential basic research.
Number of publications, per year, from 1953 to 2018
*Publications are still being populated for the years 2016, 2017, and 2018 and the number of publications using HeLa cells per year are lower as a result.
Highly Cited Publications by Year
Below, you will find a decade-by-decade list of the most highly cited publications, relating to HeLa cells, from each year. The number of citations that a publication receives is one measure of the impact the publication has made on the scientific community.