Stem cell therapy continues to show promise as an effective treatment for more advanced multiple sclerosis, albeit not without risk. Results from studies that have been ongoing for many years are slowly being published, including data from a Canadian study of immunoablation (wiping out the immune system with chemotherapy) and autologous haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (transplantation of a patient's own bone marrow-derived stem cells), also known as IA-HSCT, for aggressive multiple sclerosis.
The Canadian study — a small phase II trial led by Drs. Mark Freedman and Harold Atkins — enrolled 24 patients with aggressive MS who underwent the chemotherapy/stem cell therapy procedure. Results demonstrated that IA-HSCT was effective in halting disease progression (no relapses and no new gadolinium-enhancing or T2 lesions) in about 67 percent of participants in the three years post-treatment. Sixteen patients experienced no increase in disability, seven patients experienced continued increase in disability, and one patient died from treatment-related complications. To date, surviving participants have been followed for four to 13 years, and 35 percent have experienced reduced disability.
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Is Stem Cell Therapy a ‘Cure’ for MS?
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