Human trials of ES cell research could begin soon

Stem cell therapy came one step closer to being tested for the first time in people this week, as a US company applied to the Food and Drug Administration for a licence to start a clinical trial. The embryonic stem cell therapy is being developed to treat Stargardt, a currently incurable disease that causes blindness in young people. Advanced Cell Technology, a Massachusetts-based firm, has tested the treatment on rats and mice which model the human Stargardt disease, and found it prevented further vision loss without adverse side effects. BioNews