Understand The Times, International

Comment from UTT:

Have we reached the point where man has developed technology that will reverse death and permit mankind to live forever? If so, then there is no need for the God of the Bible and death is nothing but a myth and salvation for our sins is not necessary. I wonder where this idea originated.

May 13 - Scientists Seek To Bring Dead Brains Back To Life

No, it�s not science fiction. Indian researchers are embarking on a study to try to literally revive the brain dead. A person is both medically and legally dead when the brain stops working, an irreversible condition known as brain death. Now, if one group of scientists have their way, the definition of death might get a bit more complicated�they are kicking off a clinical trial in which they will try to regenerate a portion of the brain in 20 people with brain death.

The experiment, called the Reanima project, will be conducted by researchers from two India-based biotech companies�Bioquark and Revita Life Sciences�on a new drug formula called BQ-A-001. The drug contains stem cells that researchers hope will grow into useful neurons, along with a number of different proteins and peptides that will break down damaged cells and create a microenvironment in which the stem cells can mature. The researchers plan to use this drug along with neurological interventions already used on brain dead patients, such as Transcranial Laser Therapy and Median Nerve Stimulation. Inspired by organisms like salamanders that can regrow severed or damaged tails, Bioquark researchers have been developing regenerative treatments for a host of uses, from cancer to spinal cord injuries.

The researchers are keeping their goals modest for this initial trial. �We don�t believe people will be independently breathing after six weeks,� Pastor says. Eventually, though, they would like to get to the point where brain dead patients can progress gradually through levels of increasing consciousness�through vegetative state, then coma, then minimally conscious state�until they can simply wake up. �We think it�s entirely feasible,� Pastor says.