Paralysed man walks after cell transplant
Pioneering treatment that led to a man paralysed in a knife attack being able to walk again, has attracted much media attention this week.
The treatment involved the transplant of special cells from the patient's nose into the breach in his spinal cord. Importantly, it did not make use of embryonic stem cells.
Prof Geoff Raisman who led the research team that enabled the breakthrough, has spoken in the past of the efficacy of using adult cells, saying "there's no need to use other stem cells."
The success follows recent news of progress in efforts to use adult stem cells to treat blindness and osteoporosis.
Using adult stem cells does not raise ethical issues - as opposed to the use of embryonic stem cells which involves the destruction of human persons.
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