Stem Cell Trial For Stroke Treatment
From the BBC: "Doctors in Glasgow have injected stem cells into the brain of a stroke patient in an effort to find a new treatment for the condition. The elderly man is the first person in the world to receive this treatment - the start of a regulated trial at Southern General Hospital. He was given very low doses over the weekend and has since been discharged - and his doctors say he is doing well. Critics object as brain cells from foetuses were used to create the cells. The patient received a very low dose of stem cells in an initial trial to assess the safety of the procedure. Over the next year, up to 12 more patients will be given progressively higher doses - again primarily to assess safety - but doctors will be looking closely to see if the stem cells have begun to repair their brains and if their condition has improved. ... The first group of patients to receive the treatment will be men over 60 who have shown little or no improvement in their condition over a number of years. It is an ideal group to assess the safety of the procedure - doctors will be keen to know first of all that the treatment makes them no worse. But having such a precisely defined group will enable doctors and scientists to compare like with like if they notice any improvement - even in these early stages. If these trials show promise, doctors plan larger trials on a more varied group of patients. The earliest this could begin is in two years' time."