Groundbreaking Study Finds Stem Cells Cured Severe MS Symptoms
This discovery could change so many lives.
An extremely risky, experimental trial is igniting hope for a cure for multiple sclerosis. The study published in The Lancet took place over 15 years and was conducted by multiple hospitals in Canada. Today, a select group of patients who were previously immobilized by the disease are getting a second chance at a symptom-free life.
Researchers in Canada have discovered that the cure to debilitating multiple sclerosis may lay in stem cells.
MS is a disease of the central nervous system that can have unpredictable symptoms. It causes destruction of myelin—a protein that surrounds and protects nerve fibers—which can lead to interference in signals sent from the brain to the body.
According The National MS Society, 2.3 million people between the ages of 20 and 50 worldwide have been diagnosed with one of the four different types of MS. It varies in severity from patient to patient. Some may live relatively active lives, while others may be wheelchair bound. There is no way to predict how rapidly the disease will progress. Thankfully, researchers have found a way to cure the most debilitating forms of the disease.
For many patients, treatment can be just as taxing as the disease itself.
Treatment options include daily injections, oral medications or IV infusions, and these only work to slow the course of the disease. The National MS Society lists 60 medication options recommended for varying symptoms, which include depression, difficulty walking, tremors, and bowel dysfunction. This can be draining on both the body and financial resources.
24 people with varying stages of MS participated in the Canadian study.
According to Vox, the participants had stem cells from their bone marrow harvested and frozen. They then underwent a 10-day course of aggressive chemotherapy to clear out their immune systems. "We are rebooting the immune system like you might reboot a computer," Dr. Mark Freedman, a clinician-scientist who led the study, told The Star.Those frozen stem cells were then transplanted back into each of the patients. 16 patients were cured of the disease, 7 still had symptoms and one person died from treatment-related effects.
The greatest success story is Jennifer Molson.
Molson was diagnosed with MS at age 21 after experiencing scary symptoms. "I had no feeling from the chest down. I could touch something boiling on the stove and burn myself. I could touch fabric without knowing whether it's sandpaper, " she told Vox.
She was an aspiring police officer, but found that balance and walking around had become increasingly difficult. Eventually, she had to rely on her boyfriend to dress, feed and bathe her. By age 26, was living in a hospital under 24-hour care.
Molson participated in the study; now, 15 years later, her life is completely different.
"I downhill ski, I drive a standard. I can skate. I can dance, but not well...I have no rhythm. That has always been the case," she jokes in an interview with The Stem Cell Foundation. "Am I cured? I like to use that word. They [Drs. Mark Freedman and Harry Atkins] don't like to use that word. They're calling it a lasting remission."
Dr. Stephen Minger, who wasn't involved in the study, considers it a huge success that offers hope of a potential cure to patients and their families.