Human trials of nasal stem cells for spinal cord injury to begin soon in UK

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | The nose cells that may help the paralysed walk again:

"'This is not the most popular way of attempting to heal spinal injuries. That would be to produce patented chemicals, which drug companies can make and sell. What we're proposing could be carried out by any very modestly equipped hospital with neurosurgery. There are no patents. It makes it a very unpopular form of research.

"'We're producing a procedure where the patient is their own cure. You can't patent a patient's own cells, thank God.'"

Professor Geoffrey Raisman of University College, London, makes a very important point here about the difficulty in securing funding for this sort of research which, although highly promising, will not make anyone rich. No one, that is, but the patients; for, who can put a price on restoring the ability to breath on one's own. or to walk, or even to control bladder and bowel functions?

No disrespect to Prof. Raisman whom I wish the best of luck, but this technique has been used in humans for several years already in Portugal, China and other countries as I have mentioned previously in this space. It appears from the article that the Guardian and the professor are unaware of this fact.