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Whats the position in Britain? Embryonic stem-cell research is legal, provided experiments are licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Several academic and commercial groups are pursuing it, though none is anything like as close as Geron to clinical trials What does the Geron therapy involve? The company has used embryonic stem cells to produce large stocks of a specialised kind of cell called oligodendrocyte precursor cells, which stimulate the growth of nerve cells in the spine, and produce myelin, which protects the nerves and is critical to their activity. The OPCs are injected to the spine at the site of the injury, to promote nerve recovery What happens now? The Geron trial will start recruiting patients who have recently suffered spinal cord injuries. Between 7 and 14 days after their injuries, their spines will be injected with OPC cells. The main purpose of the trial is to monitor safety, but scientists will also start assessing its effectiveness When might a therapy be available more widely? If all goes well, clinical trials generally take four to five years from the start of safety tests on volunteers to the licensing of drugs for widespread use
Biological