About 20 patients have received bone marrow transplants using their
own stem cells. Some patients who were paralysed have been able to walk
again.
Prof Basil Sharrack, of Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire
Hospital, said: "To have a treatment which can potentially reverse
disability is really a major achievement."
The treatment - known as an autologous haematopoietic stem cell
transplant (HSCT) - aims to destroy the faulty immune system using
chemotherapy.
It is then rebuilt with stem cells harvested from
the patient's own blood. These cells are at such an early stage they've
not developed the flaws that trigger MS.
Prof John Snowden,
consultant haematologist at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, said: "The
immune system is being reset or rebooted back to a time point before it
caused MS."
About 20 MS patients have been treated in Sheffield
in the past three years. Prof Snowden added: "It's clear we have made a
big impact on patients' lives, which is gratifying."
The Royal Hallamshire Hospital - together with hospitals in the United
States, Sweden and Brazil - is part of an international trial, MIST, which is assessing the long-term benefits of the stem cell transplant.
No comments:
Post a Comment