A research team from Kyoto University, Japan has conducted the world’s first transplant of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to treat Parkinson’s disease.

Nerve cells created from the artificially derived stem cells, known as iPS cells, were transplanted into the brain of the patient in a treatment researchers hope to develop into a method that can be covered under Japan’s health insurance system.

According to Jun Takahashi, a professor at the university’s Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, the team intends to develop a mass production system that enables the delivery of nerve cells derived from iPS cells all over the world.

The clinical trial was carried out by the research centre and Kyoto University Hospital, with doctors verifying the transplant’s safety and effectiveness.