Multiple sclerosis represents one of the leading causes of disability in young adults. It’s an autoimmune condition that eats away at parts of the body’s nerve cells. Recent research by Tisch MS Research Center of New York scientists proposes a new stem cell-focused treatment. Treatment may even be able to reverse damage done by multiple sclerosis. Keep reading to learn more about this development, or learn more at PR Web.
Already, scientists point to cell therapy as the up-and-comer in multiple sclerosis treatment. The study from the Tisch Center reinforces this vision, and further supports the idea that intrathecal injections of stem cells are both safe and tolerable.
“We anticipate that these novel studies may form the therapeutic basis of reversing disability in patients with MS and if successful, these studies could have positive implications for treating other neurological diseases.”
According to Dr. Saud A. Sadiq (quoted above), Director and Chief research Scientist at the Tisch Center, results form their most recent study justify the start up of an organized Phase-II trial with FDA approval. Researchers seek to test their conclusions amongst a larger group of patients.
Study participants from this early stage testing have already shown marked improvements. Reversal of multiple sclerosis was evaluated using the expanded disability status scale.
Of the 20 patients in the study, 70% experienced improved muscular strength. Half of the test group showed an improvement in bladder function.
One senior research scientist points to the teams unique methods as crucial to the study’s success. Many studies use preserved stem cells. Scientists employ cryogenic methods to accomplish this. The Tisch team, however, managed to develop a method of utilizing fresh cells. Stem cells reached patients within a 30-minute window.
The research forming this study has taken place over the better part of a decade. Dr. Sadiq and his team began this branch of stem cell research in 2001. More information on their study can be found here.
