Study of bone marrow stem cells in multiple sclerosis

A new pilot clinical trial to test bone marrow stem cell therapy with a small group of patients with multiple sclerosis has started at Frenchay Hospital. The aim of the trial, conducted by the University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust, is to find out what effects, good or bad, it has on patients with MS, and their disability.

Bone marrow is known to contain stem cells capable of replacing cells in many types of tissues and organs - and so is of great interest to those working to develop new treatments for many diseases, including those affecting the nervous system.

The potential of such cells to aid repair in multiple sclerosis has been examined in laboratory studies in Bristol and elsewhere but, until now, patients have not been treated in this way.

Neil Scolding, Professor of Clinical Neurosciences for North Bristol NHS Trust and the University of Bristol is leading the trial.

He said: “We believe this form of adult stem cell treatment, carried out in collaboration with colleagues in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the BRI, will be safe and well-tolerated but, because patients with MS have never had this treatment before, safety has to be proven before any further studies of larger numbers of patients can take place.

“We will therefore be monitoring this small number of patients extremely carefully over the next 9-12 months. Provided, as is envisaged, we do not find serious adverse effects, we hope to raise the funds to undertake a larger study to examine the effectiveness of such treatment in MS.”

What does this study involve?

Patients meeting the entry criteria were assessed in the Neurology department and the Burden Centre at Frenchay Hospital to determine general fitness and degree of disability from MS.

They also have various types of brain scan, at Frenchay and also at The Hammersmith Hospital in London. Then, at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the BRI, they undergo bone marrow collection under a short general anaesthetic.

The marrow is processed and then delivered back to the patient later the same day via a vein in the arm.

Over the following weeks and months, a range of various monitoring tests and scans at Frenchay and in London are then carried out.

Source: University of Bristol

Stem cell trial gets $2M shot in arm

By ALLAN WIGNEY, SUN MEDIA


In response to "unexpected" positive results, a local research facility conducting a bone marrow stem cell transplant therapy trial has been awarded additional funding.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced yesterday that the Ottawa Health Research Institute, a University of Ottawa-affiliated arm of the Ottawa Hospital, will receive $2.4 million over five years to continue and further develop the trial begun in October 2000.

The procedure, which early on resulted in one death and carries potentially serious side effects, involves employing a patient's bone marrow cells to replace a diseased immune system with a new, purified one.

A similar procedure has attained positive results in cancer patients, but has rarely been applied to the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as MS, an often-debilitating, chronic condition affecting the brain and spinal cord.

More than two dozen patients with rapidly progressive disease were selected for the initial stages of the trial; 18 have received the transplant therapy.


HAS WORKED FOR MOST

Another transplant recipient died during the procedure four years ago, effectively bringing further treatment to a halt for more than a year. The transplant program resumed in March 2004, after modifications were made to the procedure.

Most of the patients who have undergone the transplant procedure have seen their condition stabilize or improve, the MS Society reported. Moreover, additional, unexpected improvements to their condition have been witnessed.

"The hope was that treatment would stabilize progression of the disease, but researchers have found that some patients have experienced improved vision and improved walking ability," reported Ottawa Health Research Institute spokeswoman Jennifer Paterson.

"Part of this money will go to finding out what is causing that tissue repair. Additional funds will go to transplants for six more patients."