Looking to cure a host of neurodegenerative diseases, StemCells, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company, has transplanted human neural stem cells into the brains of thousands of mice. The mice are technically chimeras, or is a mix of two or more species. (The word "chimera" refers to the Greek mythological creature that has a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.) President and CEO Martin McGlynn says his biotech company is now waiting for the FDA's permission to test human neural stem cells – the ones already tested in mice – in human patients.
Such animals, especially mice, have been used to search for ways to cure human diseases including Parkinson and Alzheimer disease. "Having the ability to evaluate human cells in a mouse or other animal is critical to translating scientific discoveries into therapeutic medicine," says McGlynn. "It's the key. It's the bridge to the clinic."
However, the ...
