First Saskatchewan resident heads to U.S. for possible MS liberation therapy: video

SASKATOON -- A Saskatoon man is going to the U.S. to see if he can take part in a clinical trial of the so-called liberation treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Andrew Dahlen is the first Saskatchewan resident to go to Albany, N.Y., for the final eligibility screening in a two-year, double-blind clinical trial.

I think the possible benefit will outweigh the real risks of it. Im certainly terrified for going but Im more excited, so Im not really too concerned about the risks, Dahlen said Thursday.

The province is putting up $2.2 million to have 86 Saskatchewan patients take part in the trial.

All prospective participants are first screened by a neurologist to ensure they meet eligibility requirements. A successful candidate must be a Saskatchewan resident, under the age of 60 and not had liberation treatment.

Candidates then spend several days at Albany Medical Centre, where a final assessment determines whether they will be accepted into the trial.

The nature of the double-blind study means half of those participating will receive liberation therapy and half will get a placebo procedure.

Dahlen, 28, is optimistic.

In any scientific test there has to be a control group, so Im thinking even if I do just get the placebo effect it will still have some good research, he said.

With a population slightly more than one million, Saskatchewan has some of the highest rates of MS in the country. An estimated 3,500 Saskatchewan residents have the illness. Canadas rate of MS is among the highest in the world at 240 per 100,000 people. On the Prairies, the rate is 340 per 100,000 people.

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First Saskatchewan resident heads to U.S. for possible MS liberation therapy: video