Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory, demyelinating, neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. Patients with the condition often suffer from severe symptoms that can range from loss of motor skills to loss of bladder control. Subsequently, patient quality of life is negatively impacted.
This condition damages the myelin sheath that protects nerves. Once the damage is done, there is little that can be done to regenerate the nerves. Current medical treatments can help slow disease progression, but patients may still have to deal with the nerve damage that has already occurred. Patients need treatments that can help repair the damage.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising alternative to conventional medical treatment. This treatment may not only be able to halt or even reverse MS disease progression but repair the damage to nerves and myelin sheaths. MSCs have a number of properties that can treat the underlying conditions of multiple sclerosis.
A study, Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis, evaluated the current landscape of MSC treatment for MS patients.
The Promise of Stem Cells in Multiple Sclerosis
Stem cells have several attributes and mechanisms that make them attractive for treating various autoimmune conditions. A number of studies have shown that stem cells have immunosuppressive properties that can be useful in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Th17 and Tregs have been identified as essential factors in multiple sclerosis and may play a key role in disease progression. Researchers believe that mesenchymal stem cells can directly induce the proliferation of Tregs through the release of immunomodulatory factors. MSCs can have anti-inflammatory effects that may be able to reduce MS symptoms.
The medical community needs to see evidence of how stem cells can improve clinical outcomes for MS patients. The study also discussed the recent clinical evidence that stem cells can be beneficial for MS patients.
Promising Clinical Trials
There have been a number of clinical trials that were analyzed in the study. The researchers highlighted studies that showcased the encouraging results that support the feasibility and safety of stem cell therapy.
In a phase II clinical trial, nine relapsing-remitting MS patients received infusions of bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells intravenously over the course of six months. Five patients received the stem cells, while four patients received a placebo treatment. There were no significant adverse events in the group that received the stem cells.
The stem cell treated group experienced improvements. The five patients had fewer lesions when the researchers scanned the brains of patients via MRI. There was also a decrease in the number of Th1 cells present in patient blood, which shows a lessened immune response. The researchers came to the conclusion that bone marrow stem cells have immune system modulation properties that can lead to better MS patient outcomes.
Another open-label phase ll clinical trial showed similar results to the first trial. The study involved ten patients with secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis with vision problems. The patients received intravenous infusions of autologous bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells. The study was focused on showing that this treatment was safe, but also evaluated the effects of the treatment on patient vision.
Again the patients did not experience any serious adverse events. There were improvements in the patient’s visual scores. The researchers found that patients had improved ability to distinguish shapes and the details of objects at a given distance. Patients also had improved visual response latency times and an increase in optic nerve area. The researchers concluded that stem cells have neuroprotective effects that resulted in the patient’s improvements.
The researchers were also interested in a Phase I clinical trial with 20 relapse-remitting patients. This trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous MSC-derived neural progenitor cells. Patients will be given intrathecal injections of MSC-derived neural progenitor cells over the course of six months and followed up to 36 months. The study hopes that this treatment will be safe and effective.
Overall, the researchers came to the conclusion that stem cells have great potential when it comes to treating multiple sclerosis. There are potential roadblocks that the medical community has to overcome before stem cells can be a fully accepted treatment. Some of the issues include the type of stem cell, amount of stem cells that should be in a treatment, how the treatment should be administered, and more. The study concluded that more research is needed, but the future for this type of treatment is promising.
