Bringing the dead back to ‘life’

The research team is hoping that the stem cells will initiate a kind of “rebooting” process in which brain cells can regenerate on their own

In recent years, the nascent field of resuscitation science has been taking a radically different approach to medicine, treating death as a process — a potentially reversible process — rather than an event.

According to a report in the UK publication The Telegraph, a groundbreaking new medical trial will put that theory to the test by attempting to regenerate the brains of dead people.

Frankenstein jokes aside, the trial appears to be a significant step forward for researchers in the field. According to The Telegraph report, the US biotech company Bioquark has been granted permission to proceed with the project by recruiting 20 patients declared clinically dead from traumatic brain injury.

The trial will involve the use of multiple procedures and therapies in an effort to revive the brains of those being kept alive solely through life support. Stem cells will be injected directly into the brain, along with a combination of peptides. In addition, lasers and other nerve stimulation techniques will be applied to the brain stem.

The research team is hoping that the stem cells will initiate a kind of “rebooting” process in which brain cells can regenerate on their own. The process is similar to how certain kinds of reptiles and marine organisms can regenerate lost limbs.

The ReAnima Project — excellent name, that — has received approval from the National Institutes of Health in the United States and in India, according to The Telegraph report. The team plans to start recruiting patients immediately and will perform the initial “proof of concept” procedure in Uttarakhand, India.

Dr Ira Pastor, the CEO of Bioquark, told The Telegraph that he hopes to be able to report results within the first two to three months:

“This represents the first trial of its kind and another step towards the eventual reversal of death in our lifetime.”