Japan OKs test using iPS cells to treat spinal cord injuries

Japan's health ministry approved Monday the world's first clinical test in which artificially derived stem cells will be used to treat patients suffering from the loss of motor function due to spinal cord injuries.With the approval, a team of researchers from Keio University, which filed a request for the test with the ministry, will start recruiting patients from fall to next winter.The team will inject neural stem cells produced from so-called induced pluripotent stem cells into four people who sustained injuries while playing sports or in traffic accidents."Finally, we are able to carry …READ FULL ARTICLE