Stem cell treatment is the new hope for multiple sclerosis patients.

An international study has shown that stem cell transplantation can bring major positive changes for many people with multiple sclerosis, said doctors who participated in this analysis.

The results of the international study show that this transplant can stop the disease and alleviate the symptoms, BBC reports.

The procedure consists in the destruction of the patient's immune system using cancer drugs and the system is then rebuilt by stem cell transplantation.

There are several sources and ways of taking stem cells. They can be of embryonic and fetal origin, but the use of these cells is limited in part, as there is a possibility of teratoma-a benign tumor at the application site, and there are numerous obstacles and ethical problems, especially in the process of cloning stem cells, while those without problems can be taken from umbilical cord, bone marrow, and fat tissue.

Somewhat more than 100 patients participated in a study in hospitals in Chicago, USA, Sheffield in Britain, Uppsala in Sweden and Sao Paolo in Brazil. All of them had multiple sclerosis by removing the period of recovery of the disease and the long-term withdrawal of signs of illness or remission.

Interim results were published at the annual meeting of the European Society for Bone and Bone marrow Transplantation in Lisbon.

In the study, patients received either drug therapy or stem cell transplantation with HSCT therapy. Patients in the group receiving transplanted stem cells noticed a decrease in disability, while symptoms worsened in another group.

A year later, there was one case of relapse of the disease in the stem cell group of patients compared to 39 in the second group receiving medication.

After monitoring patients for an average of three years, 3 out of 52 transplantation patients failed (six percent), in comparison to 30 out of 50 patients (60 percent) from the control group treated with drugs, the BBC reported.

Professor Richard Bert, a leading researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago, told the BBC that the data was "stunning" in favor of transplantation compared to the best available drugs.

"The neurological community was skeptical of this therapy, but these results will change," said Bert.

The treatment uses chemotherapy to destroy the damaged immune system, and then the stem cells taken from the blood and bone marrow of the patient are re-inserted. These cells are not affected by multiple sclerosis and they re-build the patient's immune system.

Professor Bazil Sharok, a neurologist at the hospital, said that the research is still in the transitional phase, but if this is taken into account, this is the best result seen in any multiple sclerosis studies.

Doctors suggest that this treatment does not suit all patients with multiple sclerosis and that the process can be severe, including chemotherapy and several weeks of isolation in hospitals.

Doctor Suzana Kolhilhas said that HSCT stem cell transplantation would soon be recognized as an established treatment in England and that it would then be a priority to ensure that patients with whom it can help get this therapy.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and it is estimated that about 700,000 people are suffering from it in Europe, of which about 75 percent are women.Stem cell treatment offers new hope for multiple sclerosis patientsAn international study has shown that stem cell transplantation can bring major positive changes for many people with multiple sclerosis, said doctors who participated in this analysis.The results of the international study show that this transplant can stop the disease and alleviate the symptoms, BBC reports.The procedure consists in the destruction of the patient's immune system using cancer drugs and the system is then rebuilt by stem cell transplantation.There are several sources and ways of taking stem cells. They can be of embryonic and fetal origin, but the use of these cells is limited in part, as there is a possibility of teratoma-a benign tumor at the application site, and there are numerous obstacles and ethical problems, especially in the process of cloning stem cells, while those without problems can be taken from umbilical cord, bone marrow, and fat tissue.Somewhat more than 100 patients participated in a study in hospitals in Chicago, USA, Sheffield in Britain, Uppsala in Sweden and Sao Paolo in Brazil. All of them had multiple sclerosis by removing the period of recovery of the disease and the long-term withdrawal of signs of illness or remission. Interim results were published at the annual meeting of the European Society for Bone and Bone marrow Transplantation in Lisbon. In the study, patients received either drug therapy or stem cell transplantation with HSCT therapy. Patients in the group receiving transplanted stem cells noticed a decrease in disability, while symptoms worsened in another group. A year later, there was one case of relapse of the disease in the stem cell group of patients compared to 39 in the second group receiving medication. After monitoring patients for an average of three years, 3 out of 52 transplantation patients failed (six percent), in comparison to 30 out of 50 patients (60 percent) from the control group treated with drugs, the BBC reported.Professor Richard Bert, a leading researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago, told the BBC that the data was "stunning" in favor of transplantation compared to the best available drugs."The neurological community was skeptical of this therapy, but these results will change," said Bert.The treatment uses chemotherapy to destroy the damaged immune system, and then the stem cells taken from the blood and bone marrow of the patient are re-inserted. These cells are not affected by multiple sclerosis and they re-build the patient's immune system.Professor Bazil Sharok, a neurologist at the hospital, said that the research is still in the transitional phase, but if this is taken into account, this is the best result seen in any multiple sclerosis studies.Doctors suggest that this treatment does not suit all patients with multiple sclerosis and that the process can be severe, including chemotherapy and several weeks of isolation in hospitals.Doctor Suzana Kolhilhas said that HSCT stem cell transplantation would soon be recognized as an established treatment in England and that it would then be a priority to ensure that patients with whom it can help get this therapy.Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and it is estimated that about 700,000 people are suffering from it in Europe, of which about 75 percent are women.

#stemcells #multiplesclerosis #newtreatment