Source: Reuters
Posted: March 12, 2007 11:58 a.m. PT
Summary:
Human stem cells taken from both embryos and fetuses delayed a fatal brain and nerve disease in mice, moving throughout the brain to replace the function lost as a result damaged neurons, scientists report. They said their study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, represents the first time a human embryonic stem cell has successfully treated a disease in an animal. Dr. Evan Snyder of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, California, who led the study, says his team hopes to move quickly to test their method in children with a fatal and incurable brain disease called Sandhoff disease.
