Thai media reports that a medical team in Thailand is planning to conduct clinical trials of stem-cell therapy to treat three major neural diseases for the first time in the country. The project is aimed at helping victims of Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury and strokes.According to Maiyadhaj Samsenat, director of Thailand's Prasat Neurological Institute, trials of transplanting developed stem cells into patients' central nervous systems are expected to begin this year.
The proposal is being drafted and needs approval from the institute's ethics committee before patient trials can start. Ahnond Bunyaratvej, the secretary-general of the National Research Council of Thailand, said the cell engineering and tissue growth laboratory at Mahidol University, will develop the proper type of stem cells for the project.
