In a thirteen-year study led by Drs. Mark Freedman and Harold Atkins at the Ottawa Hospital, Canadian doctors have been able to use transplanted stem cells to treat severe multiple sclerosis effectively. As a result of their research, 70 percent of the participants experienced an end or reversal to their MS symptoms after stem cell transplants.
According to a press release from The Lancet, this is the first treatment that does not use medication to deliver control over, or neurological recovery from, this disease.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an immune-mediated disease that attacks the myelin, the protective coating that covers nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It gets its name from the scar tissue (sclerosis) formed on the damaged myelin, which interrupts nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord. The problems associated with this disease include balance and walking difficulties and possible loss of bowel control; it may also cause blindness. For many sufferers, confinement to a wheelchair can be expected.
There are four types of MS: clinically-isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), primary-progressive MS (PPMS), and secondary-progressive MS (SPMS). Each can be considered mild, moderate, or severe. At this time, there is no cure, although some medications have proven effective in reducing the number of relapses or slowing the progression of the disease.
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| When the protective coating on nerve cells in the brain experiences damage, a form of MS may develop. Source: nih.gov |
The Stem Cell Transplant Process for MS
In the study, 24 patients in different stages of the disease had their bone marrow stem cells harvested, purified, and frozen. Next, the researchers employed an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy to effectively wipe clean the immune system of the participants. Once that stage was completed, the stem cells were thawed and reintroduced into the patients. As a result, the clinical relapses of all of the patients ended, new brain lesions were no longer forming, and 16 of the participants were declared completely free of progression.
What makes this treatment different is that previous research centered on suppressing the immune system. This process effectively erases and resets it, creating a type of immune system amnesia, with it having no memory of having attacked the CNS. And unlike other research, it seems to eliminate the need for medication in halting the formation of new brain lesions.
More Research Is Still Needed
While the results are groundbreaking, there are still problems with the stem cell treatment for MS, as it is considered extremely high-risk. Only five percent of those with MS are eligible for this stem cell transplant. There was one death from the procedure, and almost a third saw a worsening of their symptoms. However, members of the medical community think this may be a long-awaited miracle treatment, and are hoping for further MS treatment breakthroughs as more clinical stem cell trials are conducted.
