Dead Could Be Brought ‘Back To Life’ in Groundbreaking Project

Health watchdogs approved a groundbreaking trial aimed at regenerating brain tissue in individuals who have been declared clinically dead. Scientists plan to inject comatose patients with stem cells and a combination of peptides, along with implementing some nerve stimulation techniques, in order to repair brain damage. These techniques have had some past success in reviving patients from comas.

The trial participants have been certified as being brain-dead and are kept alive through life-support. The team undertaking the experiment has officially received approval for their first twenty subjects. They are currently working with the hospital to identify any potential conflicts with patients’ families who may oppose the endeavor due to religious or other medical concerns. Dr. Sergei Paylian sees the possible benefits of the study: “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 CNS conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”

See Sarah Knapton, Dead Could Be Brought ‘Back To Life’ in Groundbreaking Project, The Telegraph, May 3, 2016.

Special thanks to Molly Neace for bringing this article to my attention.