Pioneering adult stem cell trial approved by Japan

BBC News reports: “The first trial of stem cells produced from a patient’s own body has been approved by the Japanese government.

Stem cells can become any other part of the body – from nerve to bone to skin – and are touted as the future of medicine.

Researchers in Japan will use the cells to attempt to treat a form of blindness – age-related macular degeneration.

The announcement was described as ‘a major step forward’ for research in the field.

There are already trials taking place using stem cells taken from embryos. But this is ethically controversial and the cells will not match a patient’s own tissues, so there is a risk of rejection.

Adult stem cells – which are also called induced pluripotent stem cells – are made from a patient’s skin, so there should be no risk of rejection… (“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” – Daniel 12:4.)