A treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) may be on the horizon after researchers discovered that injecting stem cells into patients’ brains could potentially stop the progression of the disease.
A study from the University of Cambridge found that the procedure was “safe, well tolerated and had a long-lasting effect that appears to protect the brain from further damage.” But independent scientists said more evidence was needed before it could be considered a breakthrough.
Multiple sclerosis affects the brain and spinal cord, causing symptoms such as vision problems and problems with movement, sensation or balance. In some cases this can lead to serious disability.
In an early clinical trial conducted by scientists from the University of Cambridge, together with teams from the University of Milan Bicocca and Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital in Italy, neural stem cells were injected directly into the brains of 15 patients with secondary multiple sclerosis recruited from two hospitals in Italy. The cells were obtained from brain tissue from a donor fetus who had suffered a miscarriage.
After treatment, the researchers followed the patients for 12 months and observed no treatment-related deaths or serious side effects. Some side effects were observed, but they were considered “transient or reversible,” the researchers said.
These include mild infections and tremors. One patient developed steroid-induced psychosis one month after the injection but subsequently made a full recovery. At the start of the study, most patients required a wheelchair and had a high level of disability, but the situation did not worsen one year after treatment.
The researchers reported that the results were published in stem cell cellsuggest “significant disease stability without evidence of progression, although the high level of disability at baseline makes this difficult to confirm.”
Professor Stefano Pluchino from the University of Cambridge, one of the study leaders, added: “We urgently need to develop new treatments for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and I am cautiously encouraged by our results, which represent a step towards this development.” . for the treatment of MS.
“We acknowledge that our study has limitations – it was only a small study and there may have been confounding effects from, for example, immunosuppressive drugs – but the fact that our treatment was safe and its effectiveness over the 12-month study period means that we can move on to the next stage of clinical trials.”
There is no cure for this progressive disease yet
There is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but scientists believe stem cell therapy could one day be the best treatment for the 130,000 people in the UK who suffer from the progressive disease.
Stem cell therapy is any treatment that uses or focuses on stem cells. These are the types of cells that differentiate into many different specialized cells in our body.
Stem cells are found in both embryos and adults and have long been considered a potentially important tool in the fight against diseases, including multiple sclerosis.
In the Cambridge study, neural stem cells are injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid of the brain. Researchers have shown that they can reduce inflammation and release growth factors that help repair damaged areas.
Because the study only included 15 people, much larger clinical trials are needed to determine whether this technique could one day be useful for treating multiple sclerosis.
There are several types of stem cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), that have been used in clinical trials to evaluate their potential in treating multiple sclerosis. HSCs are adult stem cells that are found in the bone marrow and blood.
They are capable of producing all the cells that make up the blood and immune system. HSC therapy aims to reset the immune system to prevent it from attacking itself and repair existing damage.
Paul Gallagher
A subset of patients was examined for changes in brain tissue volume, and it was found that those who received a larger dose of stem cells experienced a slight decrease over time. Scientists said this may be because stem cells reduce inflammation in the brain.
Caitlin Astbury, research communications manager at the Multiple Sclerosis Society, said: “This is a really exciting study that builds on previous research we have funded. “We have known for some time that this method could potentially protect the brain from the progression of multiple sclerosis. .
“This was a very small early-stage study and we need further clinical trials to find out whether this treatment has a beneficial effect on the disease. But this is an encouraging step towards a new way to treat some people with multiple sclerosis.”
However, Dr Aravinthan Varatharaj, clinical lecturer in neuroscience at the University of Southampton, said: “We don’t have strong evidence” that the technique can be used to repair or re-grow nerve cells in the brain.
“Although this study showed that patients did not experience significant disease progression after treatment, there are other possible explanations for this and it was not a controlled study,” he said.
“In addition, most patients continued to show evidence of disease activity on MRI, suggesting that this treatment does not completely suppress brain inflammation.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.