Is Stem Cell Therapy "The MS Cure?"

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?

Cell-based Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis

Stem cell therapy itself is not entirely new, but use in MS is still experimental and no therapies have been approved in the United States. There are important ongoing clinical trials in the US and a number of patients have traveled abroad to receive treatment. Patients need to be cautious, however, because of the numerous bogus and unscrupulous “stem cell clinics” who heavily recruit patients for their treatments.

What is cell-based therapy?
“Cell-based therapy” refers to the transplantation, delivery or stimulation of various cell types for the purpose of treating MS. It is important to know that there are a variety of cell-based therapies used in MS. To discuss the state of stem-cell research, more than 70 experts convened a meeting - the International Conference on Cell-Based Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis - held in Lisbon and hosted by the National MS Society, ECTRIMS, and Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF). Progress was reviewed related to the value of specific cell types, including hematopoietic stems cells (derived from the bone marrow), mesenchymal stem cells (derived from many different adult tissues), and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (derived from multiple sources).

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Stem Cell Research and MS