Stem Cell Research and Multiple Sclerosis

Many people suffering from the debilitating the disease of Multiple Sclerosis are depending on a miracle to transform their lives and give them hope and stem cell research may just be the answer. It has been released that stem cell injections can alliviate and in some cases reverse the crippling effects of MS.

Multiple Sclerosis is a unique disease that attacks the body without much warning. It mainly attacks the nervous system, which includes the brain, the optic nerve and spinal cord. This in turn causes neurological disabilities to the person being attacked with this disease. The disease usually starts with a 'relapsing remitted' phase with alternating periodsof flare up symptoms with periods of no flare ups or activites.

There is no cure for MS however, there are treatments available to alleviate some of the symptoms that ravishes the body.

A study has taken place by Dr. Richard K. Burt chief of the division of communication at Northern University of Feinburgh School of Medicine in Chicago. Twenty one patients newly diagnosed with MS were used in this study. Their immune systems were stripped away and then replaced with the patients own stem cells removed from the bone marrow. What the researchers were hoping happen is the body will take the new stem cells will not target the myelin and also, the bad cells have not attached themselves to it. The myelin is a protective sheath surrounding the nerve fibers.

Basically, the results were better than expected. Seventeen of the twenty patients had improvements, five patients suffer relapses, but was treated and they recovered. After three years non of the patients disease returned. This is promising results in the MS community, not to get all hope up as more studies are in bing down in Canada, UK and the US.

The report in the Lancet Neurology Medical journal stated the technique suppressed the cells that caused the damage and 'reset' the immune system.

The important thing now is to find some sort of relief for those suffering from 'late stage' or progressive MS. We can only wait on the researchers for more progress and keep fundraising to keep this project alive.