Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy Trial for Multiple Sclerosis …

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is one of two types of stem cell therapy that has been under investigation for treatment of multiple sclerosis. The other type is called hematopoietic stem cell therapy, and both have demonstrated varying degrees of benefit for MS patients.

Although the two types of stem cell therapy have some significant differences, one of special importance is the fact that patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation must first undergo extensive chemotherapy to eliminate an individuals defective immune system. This places patients at significant risk of infection. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy does not require this step.

What is mesenchymal stem cell therapy? Mesenchymal stem cells are derived from adult bone marrow, skin and fat tissue, and umbilical cord blood. This therapy is still in the experimental stages and is being studied in multiple sclerosis for their ability to reduce inflammation, support the immune system, and help prevent and repair tissue damage.

This therapeutic approach involves extracting mesenchymal stem cells from a patients own bone marrow and expanding them for several week in a specialized culture lab. The cells are frozen and then thawed before they are infused back into the same patient via an intravenous line.

In hematopoietic stem cell therapy, the cells are harvested from the bone marrow or blood. This approach, in contrast to mesenchymal stem cell therapy, attempts to restart the immune system by giving patients their own stem cells back after they have been purified and their immune system has been wiped clean via chemotherapy.

Ongoing mesenchymal stem cell trial The ongoing trial is called MESCAMS (Mesenchymal Stem cell therapy for Canadian MS patients). The investigators are enrolling 40 individuals (aged 18 to 50) with either relapsing-remitting MS that has not responded to at least one existing therapy, as well as individuals with secondary and primary progressive MS who have active disease.

The trial is also taking place at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg, which will enroll 20 of the 40 planned participants. MESCAMS represents about one-quarter of an international collaboration that also includes Genoa, Italy.

Individuals chosen to participate in the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will be treated with their mesenchymal stem cells soon after they are harvested, treated in the laboratory, and frozen. The second group will be given a placebo solution and then receive their previously frozen stem cells six months later.

Other mesenchymal stem cell studies The results of a small (8 patients) placebo-controlled clinical trial were recently published in PLoS One. Five patients were initially treated with their own stem cells, and six months later the remaining three, who were given placebo initially, were treated.

The authors reported a trend to a reduced cumulative number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions after six months and at one year. However, they did not observe any significant differences in relapses and disability.

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Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy Trial for Multiple Sclerosis ...