Anond said the treatment for people with careers that depend on their voices - such as teachers - was a world first.

He said six people suffering from hoarseness were recovering after receiving stem cells over the past year.

He did not provide the names of the Thai researchers working on the project or of the Ramathibodi Hospital doctors participating.

There were many stem cell projects underway in Thailand with the co-operation of foreign universities, mainly between Mahidol University and Wisconsin University, including an ongoing project to cure cardiac diseases that was treating five people at the Chest Disease Institute.

A number of diseases and illnesses are also being considered for stem cell treatment including kidney failure, brain infections, Parkinson's, cardiac arrest, and bad joints, he added.

The NSTC is currently hosting a two-day conference of stem cell study and research, entitled "Emerging Technology on Stem Cells" - which began yesterday at National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

An expert on the subject, Dr Clive Svendsen of Wisconsin University, is a guest speaker who will today visit Mahidol and Chulalongkorn universities.