Scientists are searching for cures for brain disorders

A Welsh biotech company says it hopes to have a cure for Alzheimers and Parkinson's Disease within a matter of years.

Cellfactors - based in Newport, south Wales - specialises in human cell therapy, designed to replace cells which have died or stopped working.

The company hopes its work will bring relief to millions of sufferers - and that medical advances will put Wales on the scientific map.

Cellfactors have moved their headquarters to Newport from Cambridge and First Minister Rhodri Morgan officially opened their new laboratories this week.

On his brief tour he saw at first hand the scientific work which the firm hopes will revolutinise medicine.

Company scientists have already developed a protein-based material which can help repair damaged bones.

The product, Skeletex, will undergo human clinical trials later this year.

Cell therapy could cure many things

The cure for Alzheimers and Parkinson's Disease may be a little further away, but sufferers like Diana Brockway can look to the future with renewed optimism.

The 68-year-old, who lives just a few miles from Cellfactors, has been suffering from Parkinson's Disease for the past 14 years.

"Sometimes I can drink a cup of tea and you wouldn't notice the difference," she said.

"Another time, I can't lift it to my lips without spilling it."

Company chief executive officer Paul Bailey said the work being carried out in Newport could mean significant improvements for patients.

"It's a revolution in medicine, in that pharmaceutical drugs treat the symptoms of disease, whereas curative cell therapy will bring a cure," he said.