ReNeuron has received a green light from British regulators to proceed with a clinical trial of its stem cell therapy for stroke damage. In the trial, which will take place is Glasgow, 12 stroke victims will be divided into three groups and treated with fetal stem cells in six to 24 months following a stroke. Doses will start at around 2 million brain cells and grow to 20 million.
"If it works, as it has done in animal model systems, it may allow new nerve cells to grow or regeneration of existing cells and actual recovery of function in patients who would not otherwise be able to regain function," trial leader Keith Muir told BBC News.
The stem cells being tested are extracted from the fetuses of aborted babies, which has sparked controversy in the UK. ReNeuron was the first stem cell company to go public in the UK in 2000, went private in 2003 and then relisted in 2005.
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ALSO: A two-year trial to test an adult stem cell therapy as a treatment for blindness is being readied in Scotland. Story