For those suffering from the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis, a disease that destroys the nervous system, new hope has arrived in the form of a commonly used treatment for cancer and similar diseases.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT, is the process of using a patient’s own stem cells to restore function in patients whose own immune systems are damaged or defective. Cells are collected from the patient, then “cleaned” and frozen for storage. Meanwhile, the patient undergoes a mild form of chemotherapy to stop the faulty immune system from functioning. The patient then has their own stem cells pumped back into her body where they grow and “reset” her immune system to normal, healthy function.
The procedure has been practiced for several years in Europe and other parts of the world where it has seen great results.
More recently here in the United States, studies have been conducted in Chicago, Seattle, and New York, where scientists are seeing results that mimic those of their international counterparts. The treatment is currently awaiting FDA approval which expires in 2018.
Multiple sclerosis involves having a faulty immune system that attacks and destroys the myelin sheath, a covering that covers the nerves and spinal cord. When this myelin is destroyed, it can lead to loss of motor function, vision, bowel and bladder function, and the ability to walk, talk, and swallow food.
Patients who have undergone the procedure report that their multiple sclerosis halts progression entirely and some even experience a return to physical functioning previously lost as the disease damages parts of the brain.
Currently, the only FDA-acceptable treatments for multiple sclerosis are drugs. The first drugs for the treatment of MS became available in 1993. Since then, more than a dozen drugs have been released to the public. Some of these drugs include the injectable drug interferon-beta that was previously used in cancer patients in the 1980s and in HIV patients in the early 1990s. These drugs work by suppressing the immune system and preventing it from attacking myelin. that surrounds the nerves. However, it also makes patients suffer from side effects such as ‘flu-like’ symptoms and makes them more susceptible to common infections.
If this treatment were widely available and affordable, it could be life-changing for so many MS sufferers whose lives have been disrupted or put on hold by their illnesses.