Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to update the House on a recent, scientific and medical breakthrough. Canadian medical scientists have caused lab animals to grow new brain cells. The scientists say that, within two years of trying their technology, which also opens the door to repairing brains, they will be able to do this on human patients. The cells were regenerated on laboratory animals without transplanting brain tissue. Researchers at the University of Calgary have generated all three major cell types present in a healthy, human brain. The cells were grown, using 65 year old brain tissue, obtained during a biopsy. All of a sudden, it does not seem impossible, any longer, to replace brain cells. The researchers say that the challenge will be to target the healthy, new cells towards precise locations inside the brain. It has long been thought there were no stem cells, cells that could grow new brain cells, in adult mammals. But in March, 1992, scientists reported finding a stem cell in an adult mouse brain. That is very scary. I wonder if that was Mickey Mouse. Anyhow, since that discovery, millions of human brain cells have been isolated in a laboratory and transplanted into test animals. It is now reported that these new lab-grown brain cells will go into people in two years. A laboratory in Calgary is looking for volunteers to participate in their scientific research and it was recently reported in the Nunatsiaq News, that Edward Picco, the honourable Member for Iqaluit, has volunteered for this ground-breaking experiment.

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The Members of this House would like to applaud the Member's willingness to stop at nothing and to go to any lengths to serve his constituents and fellow mankind. Thank you, Super Ed.

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