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Biotech company thinks it can bring brain-dead people back to life

Updated May 10th, 2016 11:04AM EDT

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AMC’s The Walking Dead is a huge hit, and so are many other movies and TV shows about zombies. But as much as we love these undead thrillers, we wouldn’t want to actually come across zombies in real life… or would we? One biotech company in the U.S. will move forward with plans to attempt to revive dead people. Specifically, the company is looking to see if the brain activity can be regenerated in brain-dead people so that death can be reversed.

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A trial to see if it’s possible to revive dead brains won approval in the U.S., The Telegraph reports. And the study might be groundbreaking if it yields any positive results.

Bioquark has been granted permission to recruit 20 patients who have been declared clinically dead from traumatic brain injury to see whether parts of their central nervous systems can be brought back to life. Scientists will use a combination of methods to try to reactivate the brains. They will inject the brain with stem cells as well as a cocktail of peptides, and use lasers and nerve stimulation techniques that have been successful at bringing patients out of comas.

The patients will have been certified dead and they’ll be monitored for months after inclusion in the study. Brain imaging equipment is supposed to show any signs of regeneration, particularly in the upper spinal cord. Doctors will look to see whether independent breathing and heartbeat control can be regenerated.

“This represents the first trial of its kind and another step towards the eventual reversal of death in our lifetime,” Bioquark CEO Ira Pastor said. “We hope to see results within the first two to three months.”

Bioquark founder, president, and chief science officer Dr. Sergei Paylian added, “Through our study, we will gain unique insights into the state of human brain death, which will have important connections to future therapeutic development for other severe disorders of consciousness, such as coma, and the vegetative and minimally conscious states, as well as a range of degenerative CNS conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”

UPDATE: Indian specialist Dr. Himanshu Bansal contacted BGR to clarify that he is the principal investigator in the study working with Revita Life Sciences and Bioquark Inc on this project. The first phase of the trial will take place at hospital Anupam Hospital in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, India.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.