Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by researchers at Northwestern University in which adult stem cells reversed symptoms of multiple sclerosis in mice:
Bloomberg News, January 31, 2009: "Dose of stem cells reverses some MS":
"A dose of their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. All 21 patients in the study had the "relapsing-remitting" form of the disease that makes their symptoms alternately flare up and recede. Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the patients had improved on tests of their symptoms, 16 had experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated, the study found."
Nature, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell trial shows promise: Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.":
"A stem-cell therapy appears to help some patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis recover, according to results from a preliminary study. In the new trial, the patients' immune cells were first destroyed and they were then injected with blood stem cells taken from their bone marrow. Seventeen of the 21 patients treated in his study improved, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, and none declined over the 2-4 years they took part in the study. This marks the first time a technique "has actually shown reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, who led the study."
BBC News, 02:21 GMT, Friday, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell treatment 'success'":
"Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested. ...Stem cells were harvested from the patients and frozen while drugs were given to remove the immune cells or lymphocytes causing the damage. The stem cells were then transplanted back to replenish the immune system - effectively resetting it. Five patients in the study relapsed, but went into remission after receiving other therapy."
The Scotsman, 30 January 2009: "New stem cell treatment can reverse crippling MS":
"A NEW treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells could be used to reverse the effects of the disease, research revealed yesterday. A study of 21 patients with MS found that none saw their condition deteriorate while using the therapy – and the majority saw an improvement. The discovery gives new hope that stem cells offer a ground-breaking new method of tackling the debilitating disease, for which there was no cure. The latest research, published in The Lancet Neurology, focused on a technique known as "autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation."
"Stem cells are taken from the patient's bone marrow. The patient's immune system is suppressed and their haemopoietic stem cells – which become blood cells – are put back. Such a technique effectively "resets" the immune system. The 11 women and ten men taking part in the new study, led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, suffered from a form of the condition known as relapsing-remitting MS."
New Scientist, 30 January 2009 11:57: "Multiple sclerosis 'reversed' with stem cell therapy":
"For the first time, some of the disability associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis appears to have been reversed. The treatment works by resetting patients' immune systems using their own stem cells. While randomised clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, they offer new hope to people in the early stages of the disease who don't respond to drug treatment."
Daily Mail, 30th January 2009, 11:56 AM: "Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers":
"Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says. Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years. The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise."
United Press International, January 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET: "Stem cell transplant reverses early MS"
"U.S. medical scientists say they have used stem cell therapy to apparently reverse the neurological dysfunctions caused by early-stage multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said they transplanted early-stage multiple sclerosis patients' own immune stem cells into the patients' bodies, thereby "resetting" their immune systems."
Reuters, January 29, 2009 7:11pm EST: "Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study":
"U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said... Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."
HealthDay News, January 29, 2009: "Stem Cell Transplants Help MS Victims: 'Resetting' overactive immune system in early stages of disease worked, study finds":
"Stem cell transplantation seems to stop and, in some cases, undo neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis, a small study shows. The trial involved just 21 patients, but a larger, randomized trial is under way in the United States, Canada and Brazil. ...The technique used in this study, autologous non-myeloablative hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, 'resets' the immune system and is already used for secondary-progressive MS."
