Yes, don’t you live in the fear of one day waking by to the eruption of a Zombie Apocalypse anymore!
After much lobbying, NIH, US has approved a pilot-study that aims to rejuvenate patients who have clinically been declared brain-dead using stem cells. A US biotech company, Bioquark and an Indian orthopaedic surgeon, Himanshu Bansal have now joined forces to bring about either a solution in case of a Zombie attack or to actually cause one! Furthermore, this study was initially targeted at the Indian population but experienced a serious blow when the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) derailed the attempt late last year by removing it from India’s clinical trial registry. Well that’s a relief, phew! Gives us more time to run for cover when the Zombies strike.
On a serious note, their study plans to inject stem cells into the spinal cords of brain-dead patients hoping such an injection would grow new neurons and stimulate them to connect with each other, in turn bringing these individuals back to life.
“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, we have to take a different approach,” explains Ira Pastor, the CEO of Bioquark. “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,” added Pastor.Well, Zombies or no Zombies this is one of the most interesting studies that the world will anxiously be looking forward to take off next month!
