Scientists hoping to bring brain dead patients back from the brink in controversial trials
A US start-up is hoping to bring brain dead patients back from the brink by using controversial measures.
A US start-up is hoping to bring brain dead patients back from the brink
Bioquark has announced plans to begin tests on the best way to revive patients.
The Philadelphia-based firm is expecting to start tests next year which, if previous tests are anything to go by, will see them inject stem cells into the patient’s blood or fat.
A protein blend is also then injected into the spinal chord, which the scientists at the company believe will speed up the growth of new neurons in clinically brain dead patients.
This is followed by 15 days of laser therapy and nerve stimulation which, combined with the other two methods, will hopefully revive the brain.
The company will use the controversial method of using stem cells
Bioquark had hoped to perform these tests in India last year, but regulators shut the controversial idea down before they had properly begun.
Ira Pastor, CEO of Bioquark, said: “It’s our contention that there’s no single magic bullet for this, so to start with a single magic bullet makes no sense.
“Hence why we have to take a different approach.”
Bioquark hope it will speed up the growth of new neurons
Stem cell therapy - beyond the headlines - Timothy Henry at TEDxGrandForks
However, the move has been met by scepticism by some experts.
Following Bioquark’s attempts in 2016, Dr Ed Cooper who has authored several studies on brain stimulation told Stat News that "there is no way this technique could work on someone who is brain-dead”.
"The technique relies on there being a functional brain stem – one of the structures that most motor neurons go through before connecting with the cortex proper.
“If there's no functional brain stem, then it can't work."