The condition afflicts 2 to 4 of every 100,000 children born in the U.S. Babies may appear normal at first, only to begin losing coordination and having seizures several months after birth. Eventually, children go blind and are unable to communicate before they die at an early age.
There is no current treatment available to stop or slow down the symptoms.
If the trials succeed, the procedure could be the beginning for treating a host of neurological disorders. Some of the brain cells to be implanted will be from aborted fetuses, but are not embryonic stem cells. Instead, the cells are immature neurological cells that will turn into mature cells that makeup a fully formed brain.
The Food and Drug Administration said doctors at Stanford University Medical Center can begin testing on six potential transplant candidates. But an internal Stanford review board must still approve the test, a process that could take weeks.
Stem Cells Inc., a small Palo Alto biotech company, is sponsoring the study.
