#Stem cell treatment of ms trial#
Autologous HSCT appears feasible in MS it does not aggravate disability and seems to offer a clinical benefit. The general protocol of the trial was devised by a panel of experts in stem cell research and/or in clinical research in MS, and was based on a consensus published in 2010. One patient worsened at 3 months and two have relapsed.
Durable neurologic improvements have been detected on both the EDSS (7/15) and SNRS (15/15) systems. The median follow-up time is 6 months (6–18). Mild, transient, neurotoxicity was observed in six patients in the immediate post-transplant period. Allergy (93%) and infections (87%) were the principal toxic complications. On days +1 and +2, ATG (2.5–5 mg/kg) was given for in vivo T cell-depletion. Cyclophosphamide (4 g/m 2) and G/GM-CSF (5 μ g/kg/day) were used for stem cell mobilization, which caused no neurotoxicity. Patients were severely disabled, with median EDSS and SNRS scores of 6 (5–7.5) and 42 (33–62), respectively. In a phase I/II pilot study, 15 patients with progressive MS were treated with BEAM followed by autologous blood SCT and antithymocyte globulin (ATG). These observations have emphasized the possibility of treating AID with high-dose therapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Remissions of AID may also occur in patients with concomitant malignancies treated with allogeneic or autologous BMT. Several experimental autoimmune diseases (AID), including allergic encephalomyelitis, ie the multiple sclerosis (MS) model, respond to TBI and chemotherapy followed by BMT.