| Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the immune system | | | | stem-cells showed improvement, according to the |
| that affects the central nervous system, or brain and | | | | Journal Of Translational Medicine, describing studies |
| spinal cord. A form of auto-immune disease, the | | | | performed at the University of California San Diego. |
| disease damages the nerves and may affect | | | | Mesenchymal stem-cells have been shown to reduce |
| separate or multiple parts of the body, causing pain | | | | or stop immune activation of cells and target specific |
| and severe limitation to movement, ability, and quality | | | | areas where tissue damage had occurred. |
| of life. | | | | Use of stem-cell technologies to treat multiple |
| The disease causes damage and destruction to the | | | | sclerosis is designed to literally "reset" immune |
| protective covering (myelin sheath) that surrounds | | | | system function and is focusing on reversing or |
| nerve cells. Damage to the myelin sheath severely | | | | slowing early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Recently, |
| slows or interrupts nerve impulses, causing intense | | | | an international symposium (Stem Cell Transplantation |
| pain and inability to control movement. Individuals | | | | in Multiple Sclerosis: Sharing The Experience) was |
| diagnosed with multiple sclerosis experience episodes | | | | conducted in Moscow, Russia to discuss perspectives |
| of inflammation that cause the body's immune cells | | | | in new methods of treating multiple sclerosis through |
| to attack the nervous system. | | | | autologous hematopoietic (bone marrow stem-cells |
| Stem Cell Technologies and Multiple Sclerosis | | | | that may 'morph' or develop into a variety of stem |
| In recent months, treating a patient who has been | | | | cell types)stem-cell transplantation combined with high |
| diagnosed with multiple sclerosis with their own | | | | dose immunosuppressive therapies. |
| immune system stem-cells has shown promise in | | | | The Future of Treatment |
| some clinical trials where severe nerve cell damage | | | | In recent months, Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, Inc., |
| has not yet occurred. | | | | has developed a therapeutic approach for potential |
| Clinical trials developed at the Northwestern | | | | treatment of multiple muscular conditions including |
| University Feinberg School Of Medicine in Chicago | | | | Parkinson's disease, ALS and multiple-sclerosis. Multiple |
| removed patient's stem-cells in bone marrow, | | | | sclerosis treatments are currently being conducted on |
| injected chemicals to destroy damaged immune cells | | | | mouse models, with results published in the Journal |
| and then re-injected the stem-cells into the patient's | | | | Of Molecular Neuroscience. |
| bodies. Three years later, none of the 23 individuals | | | | Benefits of such treatment offer individuals diagnosed |
| who engaged in the clinical trials experienced further | | | | with multiple-sclerosis, especially those diagnosed |
| deterioration, while 17 of them showed some | | | | early, with renewed neural and muscular function, |
| improvement. | | | | reduced symptoms and enhanced quality of life. |
| In further studies, adult stem-cells that have been | | | | News articles abound with stories of various stages |
| taken from a patient's fatty tissues have shown | | | | of recovery of those who have undergone stem-cell |
| promise in reducing clinical manifestation of the | | | | treatment for multiple-sclerosis, some who have |
| disease process. Clinical trials using mesenchymal | | | | even recovered the ability to walk. |