Curing the incurable.

The programme follows the trial of a controversial new way of treating stroke damage at the University of Pittsburgh Hospital, U.S.A. Stem cells, found in some cancer tumours, are treated so that they become nerve cells (similar research was done at the University of Sheffield in the 1980s). These are implanted in the brain of a person who has suffered a stroke. After successful experiments with rats, permission was obtained from the Food and Drugs Administration for a clinical trial involving 12 volunteers. One of these volunteers, Tom Riley, was partially paralysed as a result of a stroke and could neither speak nor write. He received a brain implant of treated cancerous stem cells (scenes of surgery are shown) and 5 months later there was some improvement in his condition. Brainscans showed activity where there previously was none. Stem cell implantation is still at a very early stage but biotechnology companies are excited at the prospects it seems to promise. Many questions arise: will it be of benefit only to the rich? And will it be possible to treat sufferers from Parkinson's disease and other neurological diseases in this way? The programme closes with evidence of Mr. Riley's significant recovery.