via MS Society UK
A new study shows that intense immunosuppression followed by a hematopoietic stem cell transplant may prevent disability associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) from getting worse in 71% of people with relapsing-remitting MS for up to 10 years after the treatment.
The research is published in the January 20, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found that in some people their disability improved over 10 years after treatment. Additionally, more than half of the people with the secondary progressive form of MS experienced no worsening of their symptoms 10 years after a transplant.
While most people with MS are first diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, marked by symptom flare-ups followed by periods of remission, many people with relapsing-remitting MS eventually transition to secondary progressive MS, which does not have wide swings in symptoms but instead a slow, steady worsening of the disease.
The study involved autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants, which use healthy blood stem cells from the participant’s own body to replace diseased cells.
“So far, conventional treatments have prevented people with MS from experiencing more attacks and worsening symptoms, but not in the long term,” said study author Matilde Inglese, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Genoa in Italy and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Previous research shows more than half of the people with MS who take medication for their disease still get worse over a 10-year period. Our results are exciting because they show hematopoietic stem cell transplants may prevent someone’s MS disabilities from getting worse over the longer term.”
The study looked at 210 people with MS who received stem cell transplants from 1997 to 2019. Their average age was 35. Of those people, 122 had relapsing-remitting MS and 86 had secondary progressive MS and two had primary progressive MS.
Researchers assessed participants at six months, five years and 10 years after their transplants.
Five years into the study, researchers found that 80% of the people experienced no worsening of their MS disability. At the 10-year mark, 66% still had not experienced a worsening of disability.
When looking at just the people with the most common form of MS, researchers found 86% of them experienced no worsening of their disability five years after their transplant. Ten years later, 71% still experienced no worsening of their disability.
Also, people with progressive MS benefited from stem cell transplants. Researchers found that 71% of the people with this type of MS experienced no worsening of their disability five years after their transplants. Ten years later, 57% experienced no worsening of their disability.
“Our study demonstrates that intense immunosuppression followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplants should be considered as a treatment for people with MS, especially those who don’t respond to conventional therapy,” Inglese said.
Limitations of the study include that it was retrospective, did not include a control group and the clinicians who helped measure participants’ disability were aware that they had received stem cell transplants, so that could have led to bias. Inglese said these limitations will be addressed in future research.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Stem cell transplant
- Nine-year-old Southern California Leukemia Survivor Will Meet Donor Who Saved Her Life at City of Hope’s Bone Marrow Transplant Reunion
In addition to Tammy and her family meeting her donor, Southern California resident Terry Greene, 71, who survived chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, will also meet his international donor, a ...
- NEW! Stem Cells Hair Transplant: No Sexual Dysfunction & Medication-Free
Global Health Asia Pacific award winning Technique for Genetic Hair Loss and Thinning Hair Behind Cosmetic Surgery By Dr. Piya ...
- New regimen boosts bone marrow transplant as ‘curative’ SCD option
A Phase 2 bone marrow transplant trial in SCD patients using haploidentical donors and lower intensity conditioning had high survival rates.
- Global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Industry
Global Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Industry is projected to grow from US$ 7 Bn in 2023 to US$ 15 Bn by 2033, at a CAGR of 8% ...
- Young man in Yerevan donates stem cells to help save his sister’s life
Photos courtesy of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry LOS ANGELES—On April 10, 2024, a young Yerevan resident, Garik Petrosyan, donated bone marrow stem cells for an urgent transplant that might ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Stem cell transplant
[google_news title=”” keyword=”stem cell transplant” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Multiple sclerosis
- ‘Liquid gold’ could bring new hope to multiple sclerosis patients, study suggests: ‘Profound benefit’
An experimental medication called CNM-Au8 — a drinkable liquid with gold nanocrystals — has shown promising results in clinical trials for improving MS symptoms. Doctors and researchers weighed in.
- Epstein-Barr Virus, Multiple Sclerosis and Cancer: Looking Back at 60 Years of Research
Since then, the virus has been implicated in the development of a range of different cancers and, more recently, in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Studying EBV over the past 60 years has ...
- Multiple sclerosis discovery could be a breakthrough
We’ve made significant progress in developing better treatments for multiple sclerosis over the past two decades. Yet the medical community still struggles to diagnose the neurological condition, let ...
- Lisa Jarvis: This multiple sclerosis discovery could be a breakthrough
We’ve made significant progress in developing better treatments for multiple sclerosis over the last two decades. Yet the medical community still struggles to diagnose the neurological condition, let ...
- Hundreds walk in De Pere to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis
Hundreds gathered at West De Pere High School to raise awareness for those who have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Whether they were supporting a family member or friends, everyone who walked ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Multiple sclerosis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”multiple sclerosis” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]