Treatment usually takes several weeks. Recovery may take several months. Every person is different, but when treatment is successful, your immune system should be back to full strength in 3 to 6 months.
Should stem cell therapy be used to treat MS?
A weak immune system also ups your odds of kidney, lung, or gastrointestinal (gut) problems as well as sepsis, a serious and potentially deadly reaction to an infection. That's why some experts say more research needs to be done before stem cell therapy becomes a standard treatment for MS.
When will stem cell therapies be available?
Still, the earliest stem cell therapies are likely years away. To date, the only stem cell–based treatment approved by the FDA for use in this country is for bone marrow transplantation.15As of 2010 (the latest year for which data are available), more than 17,000 blood cancer patients had had successful stem cell transplants.16 Go to:
Are there any experimental therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS)?
Only when the results of these and future clinical trials are available will it be possible to determine what the optimal cells, delivery methods, safety, and actual effectiveness of these currently experimental therapies might be for people with MS.
How many stem cell treatments have been approved by the FDA?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved numerous stem cell–based treatments for clinical trials. A 2013 report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America lists 69 cell therapies as having clinical trials under review with the FDA, including 15 in phase 3 trials.
Will there be an MS cure soon?
There is no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), but there has been much progress in developing new drugs to treat it. Research is ongoing to develop new and better disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for this disease of the central nervous system. DMTs are designed to reduce the frequency and severity of MS attacks.
Is stem cell therapy approved for MS?
Stem cell therapy is not approved by the FDA for use in people with MS, and doctors consider it an experimental treatment. Other therapies, using different types of stem cells, may also be effective. Medical professionals are carrying out a number of clinical trials to test the effectiveness of these different cells.
How close is a cure for MS?
Although there is no cure for MS, we can see a future where people can live free from its effects and not worry about their MS getting worse. There are now a number of health conditions - like rheumatoid arthritis or Type 1 diabetes – where there are no cures.
How much does stem cell treatment cost for MS?
Cellular therapies in MS Stem cell treatment is now available all over the world to treat MS. However, the cost of treatment varies in every country as per its own regulations and policies. In US, the average cost per treatment is US$7,000 to $10,000.
How long after stem cell therapy does MS relapse?
One trial of 24 people with RRMS found that 69% who had stem cell therapy didn't have a relapse in MS symptoms or new brain lesions, which are caused by MS, 5 years after treatment.
How long do you have to have MS to walk?
You probably will need to have had MS for 10 years or less and be able to walk. Ask your doctor about clinical trials that are testing HSCT.
What type of stem cell is used to treat RRMS?
Stem cells can turn into different kinds of cells in your body. Hematopoietic stem cells make blood cells. Some doctors use a type of stem cell treatment called hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to treat RRMS. But more research is needed to know how well HSCT works against it.
How does HSCT help?
With HSCT, doctors give you medication to help you make more bone marrow stem cells. Then they take some blood and save the stem cells from it to use later. You'll next get high doses of chemotherapy and other strong medications to severely slow down your immune system.
Is HSCT bad for your immune system?
Stem cell therapy has serious risks. During HSCT, your immune system isn't at full strength. That raises your chances of getting an infection. A weak immune system also ups your odds of kidney, lung, or gastrointestinal (gut) problems as well as sepsis, a serious and potentially deadly reaction to an infection.
Can RRMS go away?
Then you'll have severe symptoms, which is called a relapse, for a short while. RRMS eventually can turn into another form of the disease, where your symptoms don't ever go away.
Is HSCT considered experimental?
It's still considered experimental. Some clinics in other countries use HSCT for MS. But only a few medical centers in the U.S. offer it, and only for people who meet certain requirements. For example, you might be a candidate if you have highly inflammatory RRMS.
Repairing
Stem cells help the body repair itself. They replace cells that the body loses through wear and tear, injury, or disease.
Self-renewing
Stem cells also have the ability to self-renew. This means they can divide and create an unlimited amount of new cells of the same type.
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
An autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) involves wiping out a person’s immune system and then regrowing it using the person’s own hematopoietic stem cells. These are stem cells that can develop into all types of blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.
Mesenchymal stem cell therapy
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is another potential treatment for the symptoms of MS. This therapy is still in the clinical trial phase.
What is stem cell therapy?
Stem cell therapy is any treatment that uses or targets stem cells, which are the types of cells that differentiate into different specialized cells in our bodies. Many types of stem cells are being explored for their potential benefits for treating MS.
Can iPSCs produce any type of cell?
They can naturally produce every type of cell in the body. One concern about their potential therapeutic use is that they might cause tumors. iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) are engineered adult cells that behave like embryonic stem cells. These could produce any type of cell in the body.
Hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cell therapies explored
Colleen Doherty, MD, is a board-certified internist living with multiple sclerosis.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy for MS?
A stem cell is a single cell that can divide and replicate itself or turn into a specialized cell type like a nerve or blood cell. Stem cell therapy is any treatment that uses stem cells to ease or treat a condition.
Risks and Benefits
Research studies on autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants in MS have consistently found the procedure to be beneficial. The safety of the procedure has also improved over the years.
Future Steps and Development
For autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants, the next big step is seeing how a transplant compares to taking a disease-modifying drug, in terms of inducing long-term MS remission and improving quality of life. 6
Summary
Stem cell treatments involve using self-replicating cells, or cells that can turn into a specialized type of cell, to treat a condition. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell and mesenchymal stem cell transplants are experimental stem cell treatments being used or explored in MS care.
A Word From Verywell
The research on stem cell therapy in MS offers hope, especially for those who do not respond to the current disease-modifying drugs or for those with progressive MS (which most disease-modifying drugs cannot be used to treat).
What is the FDA's response to stem cell products?
When stem cell products are used in unapproved ways— or when they are processed in ways that are more than minimally manipulated, which relates to the nature and degree of processing—the FDA may take (and has already taken) a variety of administrative and judicial actions, including criminal enforcement, depending on the violations involved.
What are stem cells?
Sometimes called the body’s “master cells,” stem cells are the cells that develop into blood, brain, bones, and all of the body’s organs. They have the potential to repair, restore, replace, and regenerate cells, and could possibly be used to treat many medical conditions and diseases. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is concerned ...
What is the FDA approved product?
About FDA-approved Products Derived from Stem Cells. The only stem cell-based products that are FDA-approved for use in the United States consist of blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic progenitor cells) derived from cord blood. These products are approved for limited use in patients with disorders that affect the body system ...
Where do stem cells come from?
The FDA has the authority to regulate stem cell products in the United States. Today, doctors routinely use stem cells that come from bone marrow or blood in transplant procedures to treat patients with cancer and disorders of the blood and immune system. Electron micrograph of stem cells, color-enhanced for visual clarity.
Is stem cell treatment illegal?
Food and Drug Administration is concerned that some patients seeking cures and remedies are vulnerable to stem cell treatments that are illegal and potentially harmful. And the FDA is increasing its oversight and enforcement to protect people from dishonest and unscrupulous stem cell clinics, while continuing to encourage innovation so ...
Can stem cells be unsafe?
Please try again later. Researchers hope stem cells will one day be effective in the treatment of many medical conditions and diseases. But unproven stem cell treatments can be unsafe—so get all of the facts if you’re considering any treatment.
Does the FDA review stem cell products?
The FDA has reviewed many stem cell products for use in these studies. As part of the FDA’s review, investigators must show how each product will be manufactured so the FDA can make sure appropriate steps are being taken to help assure the product’s safety, purity, and strength (potency).
What is HSCT in MS?
In HSCT for MS, hematopoietic (blood cell-producing) stem cells , which are derived from a person’s own (“autologous”) bone marrow or blood, are collected and stored, and the rest of the individual’s immune cells are depleted by chemotherapy. Then the stored hematopoietic stem cells are reintroduced to the body. The new stem cells migrate to the bone marrow and over time produce new white blood cells. Eventually they repopulate the body with immune cells.
Is autologous HSCT effective for MS?
There is growing evidence that autologous HSCT is not for everyone with MS but may be highly effective for people with relapsing MS who meet very specific characteristics.
Is aHSCT approved by the FDA?
The medications and procedures used in aHSCT are already approved by the FDA. Publication of the outcomes from well-controlled clinical studies of aHSCT therapy will encourage greater acceptance and use by the medical community.
Is aHSCT safe for MS?
The fatality rate has been reduced in recent years, ranging up to 2%. Although this procedure has been done in thousands of people with MS around the world, the medical centers have used different regimens and so it is still not clear what is the best and safest approach to aHSCT for MS. It is also not clear how aHSCT compares to available disease-modifying therapies for MS.
What Is HSCT Treatment?
Originally studied as a treatment option for certain types of blood cancers, through decades of research, HSCT has provided strong evidence for use in people with MS. 1
HSCT Eligibility
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, aHSCT may be a beneficial treatment option for people who: 4
How HSCT Medicine Works
This treatment is a multi-step procedure that is typically performed only once. 5 While the procedure may vary slightly from center to center, the process remains relatively as follows:
Getting Involved
MS is a complex disease whose management requires collaboration between the treating MS specialists and the individual affected. Collaborating on an appropriate treatment plan ensures that a person with MS has a say in their own care.
What HSCT Means for the Future of MS Research
Researchers around the world are working to find new therapies for treating potentially disabling diseases such as MS. Through studies performed to date, HSCT has proven that it warrants further research.
Summary
MS is a complex disease, but thankfully there are a number of successful treatment options available. In people for whom conventional disease-modifying therapies are not effectively managing the disease and its symptoms, HSCT may be an option to consider.
A Word From Verywell
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with MS within the past 10 years and is struggling to manage the disease, HSCT may be an option to consider. It's essential to inform your healthcare provider about all the treatment options you're interested in.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy For MS?
- A stem cell is a single cell that can divide and replicate itself or turn into a specialized cell type like a nerve or blood cell. Stem cell therapy is any treatment that uses stem cells to ease or treat a condition.
Risks and Benefits
- Research studies on autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants in MS have consistently found the procedure to be beneficial. The safety of the procedure has also improved over the years. One meta-analysis evaluated over 700 transplant patients from 15 different trials. After pooling together all the data, the investigators found that 83% of the patients had no evidence o…
Future Steps and Development
- For autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants, the next big step is seeing how a transplant compares to taking a disease-modifying drug, in terms of inducing long-term MS remission and improving quality of life.6 One clinical trial called BEAT-MS is already seeking to do this by comparing aHSCT to some of the most effective disease-modifying therapies used to treat relap…
Summary
- Stem cell treatments involve using self-replicating cells, or cells that can turn into a specialized type of cell, to treat a condition. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell and mesenchymal stem cell transplants are experimental stem cell treatments being used or explored in MS care. Research is much further along for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants and indicates that the pr…
A Word from Verywell
- The research on stem cell therapy in MS offers hope, especially for those who do not respond to the current disease-modifying drugs or for those with progressive MS (which most disease-modifying drugs cannot be used to treat). That said, stem cell therapies for MS treatment are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. If you are considering undergoing stem cell t…