Updated December 14, 2009
An Australian man appears to have made a remarkable recovery from multiple sclerosis after receiving new stem cell treatment.
Ben Leahy, 20, was diagnosed with the disease in 2008 and ended up in intensive care at one point with respiratory failure after his condition deteriorated rapidly.
He was in a wheelchair and also had sight problems when he underwent the procedure earlier this year but today he is walking and recovering well.
Australian doctors removed stem cells from Ben’s bone marrow, then used chemicals to destroy all the existing immune cells in the body before re-injecting his stem cells.
ACT neurologist Dr Colin Andrews says the positive results in Ben have surprised doctors.
“At the moment there’s a good chance we may have arrested the disease,” he said.