A stem cell therapy has been approved for widespread medical use in the EU for the first time. The treatment - Holoclar - is used to treat a rare eye condition that can lead to blindness. It works in around 80% of cases.

After three decades of failure, researchers have found a treatment that greatly improves the prognosis for people having the most severe and disabling strokes. By directly removing large blood clots blocking blood vessels in the brain, they can save brain tissue that would have otherwise died, enabling many to return to an independent life.