IT IS a first for stem cells. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a clinical trial of stem cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The cells can transform themselves into any of the 200 tissues of the body.
Geron of Menlo Park, California, will attempt to by injecting patients’ injuries with neural stem cells derived from ESCs. The neural stem cells turn into oligodendrocytes, which insulate and nourish neurons. The main aim is to test safety, but Geron will also track whether the cells repair damage and restore mobility to paralysed patients.
The trial had been on hold for years. However, Barack Obama had promised to sweep away severe restrictions on the federally funded human-ESC research introduced by President George W. Bush in 2001, so researchers have hailed the FDA’s decision as a fresh start.
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“Barack Obama promised to sweep away restrictions on research introduced by President George W Bush”
“It finally gets the whole ESC thing under way,” says Chris Mason of University College London, “and the trial will provide pivotal data which will affect all the others.”