The United States is still bogged down in uncertainty over which stem cell science the government can and can't fund, but that doesn't mean the march of research has ground to a halt. This week brought news of two new human stem cell treatments that are going forward. In Britain, a former truck driver in his 60s who suffered a stroke has now become the first person to receive an experimental stem cell treatment for the condition. Doctors injected two million fetal stem cells developed by British company ReNeuron into his brain with the hope of stimulating the growth of brain cells and blood vessels.
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. [BBC News]
