Pigs are smart, as everyone knows who has ever been charmed by a perky pig snout.
So why be surprised that researchers have found that bits of fetal pig brain, grafted onto a damaged human brain, start to grow and integrate into the human brain tissue, even restoring some of its lost functions. The second is called NeuroCell-HD for people with Huntington's disease. Both products are in phase I clinical trials at several major medical centers - which means they are being tested for safety. Twelve patients with Huntington's disease will be treated with NeuroCell-HD at Lahey Hitchcock Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts, at Boston University Medical Center, and at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Twelve patients with Parkinson's will be treated with NeuroCell-PD at Lahey Hitchcock Clinic and Boston University Medical Center.