A month after scientists began the first ever human patient embryonic stem cell trial, the FDA has approved a second. Advanced Cell Technology has been given permission to begin testing the safety of using ESCs to treat human patients with Stargardt disease which causes vision loss. The trial is supposed to begin after the first of the year. As I said when Geron started its trial: I certainly hope and pray that the patients in this trial do not experience the dangerous and deadly side effects that have plagued ESCR in animal models for the past 20+ years – but I really do not want to see this research progress, either.

Speaking of restoring vision: This June patients blinded in one or both eyes by chemical burns regained their vision after healthy stem cells were extracted from their eyes and reimplanted. I’d like to see more of THAT kind of research being done, please! Thanks.