BBC News - First trial of embryonic stem cells in humans
so really it's a spinal chord, but someday...brains!
on a personal level, my dad has macular degeneration and i'm at risk of it in my early 30s, so go go stem cell treatment!
US doctors have begun the first official trial of using human embryonic stem cells in patients after getting the green light from regulators.
The Food and Drug Administration has given a license to Geron to use the controversial cells to treat people with spinal injuries.
In the trial, patients who have sustained such an injury within the last 14 days will be given the experimental stem cell treatment.
Geron president Dr Thomas Okarma said: "When we started working with human embryonic stem cells in 1999, many predicted that it would be a number of decades before a cell therapy would be approved for human clinical trials.
"This accomplishment results from extensive research and development and a succession of inventive steps."
But it will take some time to get the results.
And there are many years of rigorous testing ahead before it can be known if the therapy is safe and effective.
...
Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine at University College London, said UK researchers hope to follow suit and begin trials next year with a stem cell treatment for age-related macular degeneration - a leading cause of blindness.
so really it's a spinal chord, but someday...brains!
on a personal level, my dad has macular degeneration and i'm at risk of it in my early 30s, so go go stem cell treatment!