Stem cells derived from human fetal tissue are to be injected into the brains of patients who have had a stroke in a trial to begin in Glasgow later this year. The eventual aim is to determine if neural stem cells can repair tissue damaged by stroke.

ReNeuron, the UK based company that has developed the stem cell line, has turned to Britain to carry out the research after failing to get approval in the United States.

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has given the go-ahead for the trial; this is thought to be the first time that neural stem cells will be injected into patients anywhere in the world. The approval is dependent on ReNeuron providing data both from an ongoing preclinical study and from the long term follow-up of trial participants.

The trial will involve 12 patients who have been left disabled by an ischaemic . . . [Full text of this article]