Risky stem cell procedure for ALS may be done safely, study shows

A complicated procedure for transplanting human stem cells into the spinal cord of patients with a fatal neurodegenerative disease may be done safely, new research shows. Although it’s unclear whether the stem cell treatment can actually slow down the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, researchers are hopeful that one day the procedure could be used to develop a new life-saving therapy.

This is not the first time that stem cells — cells that can develop into many different cell types — have been injected into the spinal cord of patients. But in today’s study, published in the journal Neurology, researchers at three different clinical centers have injected increasing doses of stem cells in a...