A team of British scientists has become the first in the world to create pure nerve stem cells from human embryonic stem cells.

It is hoped that the cells, which were grown at Stem Cell Sciences in Edinburgh, UK, by a group led by Professor Austin Smith, will allow further progress in the development of treatments for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The availability of pure nerve stem cells could also lead to a reduction in animal testing in this field.

Dr Steven Pollard, one of the researchers, said, “This is incredibly exciting in terms of curing disease. We may be able to create the disease in a dish. If we do that, we'll be able to better understand the disease and also to test drugs” (BBC News Online, 16 August 2005).

Dr Tim Allsopp, Chief Science Officer at Stem Cell Sciences, added, “The remarkable stability and purity of the cells is something unique in the field of tissue stem cells and a great step forward” (The Guardian, 16 August 2005).

It is possible that such stem cells could one day be used to grow replacement brain tissue for patients with degenerative brain diseases.

However, some scientists have greeted the news with caution. Neville Cobb of the Wellcome Trust for Cell Biology at Edinburgh University warned that it would be irresponsible to give patients and their families false hopes, saying, “It is a huge leap from expanding stem cells in culture to rebuilding the brain of a patient with Alzheimer's disease” (The Scotsman, 17 August 2005).