Stem Cell Transplants May Slow Disability Progression in Active SPMS
Blood cells formed in bone marrow called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been shown to delay disability when transplanted in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).When it comes to treating secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a more advanced stage of the disease, little research has focused on autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT), which use healthy blood stem cells from a person’s own body (autologous) to replace diseased cells.New research published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has found that people with active SPMS — meaning they continue to experience MS relapses or develop new lesions, as seen on their MRIs — who received stem-cell transplantation were slower in accumulating disability than those taking anti-inflammatory disease-modifying therapies (DMT).Most people with MS are first diagnosed with relapsing-remitting…