A demonstration in Rome by supporters of stem-cell therapy snarled traffic and forced the lower of house of Parliament to shut down Monday.
The protesters claim a potential therapy involving the removal of bone-marrow stem cells from a paralyzed patient, exposing the cells to retinoic acid and then injecting them back into the patient, could be the cure for fatal degenerative nerve diseases.
A panel convened by the Italian government concluded in September the treatment has no scientific value.
Protesters, including several terminally ill patients in wheelchairs, crashed the gates of the Lower House and demanded a meeting with Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin before police forced them out, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday. During a march to the Lower House, they tied up traffic and caused two buses to crash into each other, ANSA said.
There were no injuries during the march or the bus crashes, traffic police said.