Biotech company Bioquark Inc. recently received the go-ahead to see if brain regeneration is possible in patients that have been declared clinically dead.
“Scientists will use a combination of therapies, which include injecting the brain with stem cells and a cocktail of peptides, as well as deploying lasers and nerve stimulation techniques, which have been shown to bring patients out of comas,” reported The Telegraph.
The trial will focus on 20 patients who have been kept alive via life support. Following the therapy, the patients’ brains will be monitored for signs of regeneration, particularly in the upper spinal cord, the region where independent breathing and heartbeat are controlled.
The ReAnima Project, according to the media outlet, received approval from an Institutional Review board at the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. and India.
“Through our study, we will gain unique insights into the state of human brain death, which will have important connections to future therapeutic development for other severe disorders of consciousness, such as coma, and the vegetative and minimally conscious states, as well as a range of degenerative (central nervous system) conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Sergei Paylian, the founder, president & chief science officer of Bioquark, in a statement.
Other nonhuman species are adept at regenerating and remodeling their brain and brain stem following trauma, such as amphibians, planarians, and certain fish. Despite suffering from brain death, a human body can still circulate blood, digest food, excrete waste, balance hormones, become sexually mature, and even gestate and give birth.
“We are very excited about the approval of our protocol,” said Bioquark CEO Ira Pastor in a statement. “With the convergence of the disciplines of regenerative biology, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical resuscitation, we are poised to delve into an area of scientific understanding previously inaccessible with existing technologies.”
According to The Telegraph, the research is hoping to recruit potential first patients soon.
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