A NEWPORT company says it hopes to find the cure for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease within ten years.

CellFactors, based at Imperial Science Park, specialises in human cell therapy, a revolutionary technique which replaces dead or faulty cells.

But its use of human foetal cells, sourced in Australia because of fears surrounding CJD and European human cells, is bound to provoke controversy - despite the fact that the firm's literature stresses that full legal and ethical approval is obtained before it develops any cell lines.

It hopes its research and technology will cure tens of millions of sufferers worldwide of degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The technology, for some of which the firm owns world patent rights, can also be used in the treatment of liver disease.

Chief executive Paul Bailey said: "Most diseases known to man are caused by either the death of a cell or the malfunction of a cell.

"The dream of scientists for many years is to replace or repair those cells. With this technology you could theoretically treat cancer and even HIV.

"Within a decade we should see people with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases being cured. This is very much the cutting edge of science."

Former Commonwealth swimmer Mrs Diana Brockway, aged 68, of Western Avenue, Newport, has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for 14 years.

She said: "This is an exciting prospect but it's still early days. There may be a breakthrough in ten years but I have a feeling it will be too late for me. But I will keep myself as fit as I can.

"It's a very unpredictable condition. Sometimes I feel good, at others it's as if I have the ability of a young baby and I cannot turn the tops off jars, or fold things."

Parkinson's disease gradually effects the nervous system causing trembling, dementia and eventually death.

Mrs Brockway said sufferers have to take huge amounts of expensive medication - a factor that would be removed by a cure.

Cellfactors, founded in 1997, moved to Newport from Cambridge, where many science and biotech companies are based. Last week First Minister Rhodri Morgan opened the new laboratories that have a full-time staff of 17.

Mr Bailey, a former pupil of Bassaleg School, said: "Newport has been an excellent choice. In Cambridge we had an office a fifth of our current size and it was more expensive."

A Cellfactors protein-based product, Skeletex, helps repair damaged bones and will be put to major drugs companies later this year to help hip replacements last longer.