Stem Cell Transplants May Treat Aggressive MS
March 21, 2011 — Replacing bone marrow with the body’s own stem cells may help patients with aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis(MS) go for years without seeing their disease progress, a new study shows.
Researchers in Greece are following a group of 35 patients who received experimental stem cell transplants for multiple sclerosis.
By purposefully wiping out the immune cells in a patient’s bone marrow withchemotherapy and then repopulating it with healthy stem cells, researchers hope the body’s immune system will stop attacking its own nerves, which eventually become so damaged from MS that they can’t properly transmit signals.
That damage can lead to wide-ranging troubles, including problems with vision, speech, weakness, coordination of movement, numbness, and pain.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 400,000 Americans and 2.1 million people worldwide have MS.
Following Stem Cell Transplants in MS
An average of 11 years after their transplants, 25% of the patients in Greece have not seen their disease progress, the researchers report.
Among patients with active lesions on MRI scans before their transplants, indicating that they were in an inflammatory phase of the disease, 44% have not progressed.
Only 10% of patients who went into the study without evidence of ongoing inflammation were able to remain disease free.
Two patients died from transplant-related complications.
“Keeping that in mind, our feeling is that stem cell transplants may benefit people with rapidly progressive MS,” says study researcher Vasilios Kimiskidis, MD, of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School, Greece, in a news release.
“This is not a therapy for the general population of people with MS but should be reserved for aggressive cases that are still in the inflammatory phase of the disease,” he says.
****************************************************************
“Providing You with ‘MS Views and News’, is what we do“
.
Remain CURRENT with educational information of
Multiple Sclerosis when registered at
the MS Views and News website.
***************************************************************************************
Please donate – all contributions are tax deductible –
***************************************************************************************
Disclaimer: ‘MS Views and News’ (MSVN), does not endorse any products or services found on this blog. It is up to you to seek advice from your healthcare provider. The intent of this blog is to provide information on various medical conditions, medications, treatments, and procedures for your personal knowledge and to keep you informed of current health-related issues. It is not intended to be complete or exhaustive, nor is it a substitute for the advice of your physician. Should you or your family members have any specific medical problem, seek medical care promptly.
. ****************************************************************
Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews