The History of Heeler Cells

Heeler cells became world famous for the first time anything could be tested on living human cells. Not only did they lead to the development of the polio vaccine and countless medical treatments they were also used by cosmetic companies who bought millions of Heeler cells. All of this was done without the knowledge of Henrietta Lacks' family. It wasn't until the 90s that it became clear that it was necessary to actually obtain a person's permission if their tissue was to be used in research. In 1973 the Lacks family learnt for the firstTime that Henrietta cells were still alive. A team of geneticists set out to track down the remaining members of the LacksFamily and found