Back in January 2010 the ASCC reported on an ABC news story which focused on a young Canberra man with severe MS who made a substantial recovery after receiving stem cell therapy.
It was reported that the therapy involved the use of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant which essentially ‘reboots’ the immune system.
Last night the 7.30 Report on ABC1 followed up with a feature titled ‘Radical treatment gives MS patient back his life’ featuring the young man and his family. The report can be watched
online or read the
transcript.
This story follows recent
media reports from the UK on a phase I clinical trial investigating the Safety and Feasibility of Autologous Bone Marrow Cellular Therapy in Relapsing-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis published in the journal
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (subscription may be required). This new study differs from the treatment undertaken by the young Canberra man as in that it does not involve the use of immunosuppressive drugs which carry a high risk of serious infection and is usually only used in severe cases. However the Bristol study leader Professor Neil Scolding has stressed that this was a very small trial that only looked at the safety of the treatment in a very small number of patients.
Both the positive results from the young Canberra man the Bristol study gives good cause for hope but progress is often slower than the media suggests. Stem cell research is still a relatively new field and much research is still in the early stages.
Before embarking on any treatment individuals are encouraged to discuss all options with their doctor or specialist. More information on the processes of experimental treatments and clinical trials can be found in the
ASCCs Patient Handbook, or visit
MS Australia.
Thank you to Professor Claude Bernard for his help with information on this blog.