MS bone marrow stem cell trial to begin
Baku, December 9 (AZERTAC). British doctors are to conduct a trial using bone marrow stem cells that they hope could halt or perhaps even reverse the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The Bristol University team wants to recruit 80 people for the research, after a pilot study in six people showed "tantalising" results. The technique involves harvesting bone marrow from the patient, filtering out the stem cells and then injecting them into the person`s veins the same day. The theory is that the stem cells help repair damage caused to the protective coating of nerve cells, called myelin, which is the cause of MS. Results from the safety study, published last year in the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, raised what researchers described as "the possibility of benefit". Professor Neil Scolding said at the time: "We are encouraged by the results of this early study. "The safety data are reassuring and the suggestion of benefit tantalising." However, the results showed no actual improvement in disease. Prof Scolding said a larger study was needed. The experimental approach is also controversial because some clinics outside Britain are charging thousands for it, before studies such as Prof Scolding`s prove its effectiveness. Last year the MS Society said one such clinic, the XCell-Center in Germany, was "marketing unproven treatments". Now, following a £700,000 donation from an American charity, Bristol University and Frenchay Hospital hope to begin the clinical trial in February. About 100,000 people in Britain suffer from MS, in which nerve damage leads to symptoms including sight problems and difficulty walking. Prof Scolding said: "We are very excited by this as it will be the first trial of any repair therapy in MS, not only in the UK but anywhere."
Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata) is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in women. It has a prevalence that ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000. MS was first described in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot. MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other effectively. Nerve cells communicate by sending electrical signals called action potentials down long fibers called axons, which are contained within an insulating substance called myelin. In MS, the body`s own immune system attacks and damages the myelin. When myelin is lost, the axons can no longer effectively conduct signals.[4] The name multiple sclerosis refers to scars (scleroses—better known as plaques or lesions) particularly in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which is mainly composed of myelin. Although much is known about the mechanisms involved in the disease process, the cause remains unknown.
Other news in this section
