1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
ALS Stem Cell First
Correspondent: Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Senior Executive Producer: Roni Selig
Producer/Managing
Editor: Miriam Falco
Photographer: Steve
Sorg Editor: Fred Barley
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
5/4/2010
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
For the past decade we've been hearing how stem cells will revolutionize medicine. Until now, actual human clinical trials seemed always seem to be many years away. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta had exclusive access to groundbreaking research. He was able to follow a patient participating in the first F-D-A approved clinical trial using fetal stem cells in adults. CNN was given exclusive access to follow a patient with ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's Disease) as he allows researchers to inject fetal stem cells into his spinal cord to determine if the cells are safe and if the surgical procedure is safe. We learn that to insure safety a medical device had to be invented to inject the stem cells without causing more injury to the spinal cord. But there's more to this story. We meet the remarkable patient and learn why he is undergoing this procedure, even though he is told it will not benefit him.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Aside from the wealth of our previous reporting on stem cell and ALS research, we used the internet for background research and to find more experts to contact for background information.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
For the past decade, I have been covering embryonic and adult stem cell research. I have developed many good source. Through one of them, I was given exclusive access to follow the company's clinical trial. I convinced them to give us access to one of their first patient s to show people how the procedure was performed and why someone would participate in a clinical trial which most likely will not benefit him at all. The we turned to other experts in the ALS and stem cell field to research
6. Results (if any).
We were able to get exclusive access to a groundbreaking surgical procedure to inject cells derived from stem cells into the spinal cord of an ALS patient. This was the first time viewers got to see how this surgery was performed using cells derived from controversial stem cells.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
no
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Be patient, it can take months to convince skeptical doctors and researchers to allow you to observe their groundbreaking research and report on it. But it's worth the wait.