FASTER, PLEASE: First Hints That Stem Cells Can Help Patients Get Better.

In July, Schwartz and his colleagues injected about 50,000 RPE cells made from stem cells into the right eye of Sue Freeman, 78, of Laguna Beach, Calif., who had lost most of her vision to macular degeneration.

Because of the disease, she could no longer recognize faces, read, cook or even go outside on her own. But within six weeks of the procedure, Freeman started to notice she could see landscapes better. Tests showed she could read more letters on an eye chart. Soon, she was making her own breakfast again and even has gone shopping alone.

Read the whole thing. If this pans out — and we’ll need a bigger study to be sure — it’s a very big deal. And does that mean that Newt Gingrich was ahead of the curve?