Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise for Treatment of MS – Q&A with Dr. Sadiq of the Tisch MS Research Center of NY

  February 9, 2016

In breaking news released January 13th, 2016, Dr. Sadiq announced that the Tisch MS Research Center of New York will be pursuing a Phase II clinical trial exploring the use of stem cells in the treatment of MS.1 The announcement followed positive results from a FDA-approved Phase I stem cell trial. In this Phase I trial, MS patients received multiple spinal injections of neural progenitors derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (called MSC-NPs).

Compellingly, it was the first time ever that a treatment method has demonstrated reversal of established disability in MS patients.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Saud Sadiq has aimed to merge clinical excellence with innovative research targeted at finding the cure for multiple sclerosis. Today, the Tisch MS Research Center of New York, a non-profit research center, has a close relationship with its affiliated clinical practice, the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice. This partnership enables the testing of new MS treatments and accelerates the pace at which research discoveries are translated into clinical practice, as demonstrated by the center’s innovative work with use of neural progenitors derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

Enjoy the question and answer interview with Dr. Sadiq below to learn about recent progress with the use of stem cell therapy to reverse disability in MS patients and Tisch MSRCNY’s need for funding to facilitate research aimed at finding a cure for MS, an outcome that would change the lives of the 400,000 people in the U.S. and about 2.5 million people worldwide who are affected by the disease.

Cade Hildreth: What is your background and why did you choose to focus your career around multiple sclerosis (MS)?

Dr. Saud Sadiq: I’m a medical doctor and I have done internal medicine and neurology. I did a research fellowship in immunology of the nervous system, which led me to focus on multiple sclerosis, which is a disease of the nervous system caused by abnormal immunological responses.

Cade Hildreth: What was your vision for founding the Tisch MS Research Center of New York?

Dr. Saud Sadiq: Our main aim is to find the cause of MS, so we can find a cure.

Cade Hildreth: How do the research and clinical branches of your group work collaboratively to benefit patients?

Dr. Saud Sadiq: The collaboration between the research and clinical branches is seamlessly interwoven, as the research is patient-based and focuses on translational research to deliver the best clinical care possible. Since I direct the practice as well as the research center, there is no leadership friction.

Cade Hildreth: How does the Tisch MS Research Center of New York serve MS patients? (e.g. clinical methods, personal approach, feel of the clinic, cost, etc.)

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