MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cells, Sense of Smell, Cannabis Guide

Ed Tobiasby Ed Tobias

In Columns, The MS Wire - A Column by Ed Tobias.

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cells, Sense of Smell, Cannabis Guide
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Blood Stem Cell Transplants Improve RRMS Patients’ Disability, Phase 3 Trial Shows

Here’s yet another study that shows the benefits of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or AHSCT — the procedure in which a patient’s own stem cells are harvested and used to rebuild the immune system. I hope it moves us closer, quickly, toward the day when the Food and Drug Administration will approve this treatment for patients in the U.S.

Blood stem cell transplants lead to significant improvements in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients’ disability, a Phase 3 clinical trial shows.

The 110 patients who took part in the MIST study (NCT00273364) were experiencing relapses after receiving standard therapies such as beta interferon, Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), Novantrone (mitoxantrone), Tysabri (natalizumab), Gilenya (fingolimod), and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate).

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Treatment with Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Safe with Sustained Benefits for MS, Trial Shows

Here’s one more article about a stem cell study. In this case, it involves mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the stem cells that are found in a mother’s umbilical cord.

Treatment with umbilical cord stem cells was found to be safe and to lead to sustained improvements in disability and brain lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a clinical trial.

The study, “Clinical feasibility of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of multiple sclerosis,” was published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.

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Poorer Sense of Smell Can Be Evident Even in Early Stages of MS, Study Says

My wife wonders why I don’t smell the same things that she does. I’ve always thought it was because her nose is super-sensitive. Maybe, however, it’s my nose that has the problem. Or, should I say, it’s my MS-impacted brain that has trouble smelling the roses.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can indeed have a poorer-than-usual sense of smell, with problems possibly starting at early diseases stages, a small Turkish study reports.

This work supports previous research noting olfactory problems in MS patients. It also argues that longer disease duration and more relapses are associated with greater difficulties, reflecting “more extensive involvement of the central nervous system and olfactory network in MS disease,” the researchers said.

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GeneFo Guide Explains How Medical Cannabis Can Help MS Patients

There’s a good deal of interest in using marijuana to treat MS symptoms. There’s a thirst for information about what’s legal where and what’s required to buy medical cannabis products in states where it’s OK. As this story reports, there’s now a guide to help you find your way.

More studies are showing that medical cannabis can alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a company that helps patients, doctors, and others understand genetic conditions better.

The observation came in GeneFo’s 2018 Guide to Clinical Effects of Medical Cannabis.

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Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.

  • Author Details
Ed Tobias
https://www.themswire.com
Diagnosed with MS at age 32 in 1980, Ed has written the “MS Wire” column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today since August 2016. He presents timely information on MS, blended with personal experiences. Before retiring from full-time work in 2012, Tobias spent more than four decades in broadcast and on-line newsrooms as a manager, reporter, and radio news anchor. He’s won several national broadcast awards. As an MS patient communicator, Ed consults with healthcare and social media companies. He’s the author of “We’re Not Drunk, We Have MS: A tool kit for people living with multiple sclerosis.” Ed and his wife split time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Florida’s Gulf Coast.
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Ed Tobias
Diagnosed with MS at age 32 in 1980, Ed has written the “MS Wire” column for Multiple Sclerosis News Today since August 2016. He presents timely information on MS, blended with personal experiences. Before retiring from full-time work in 2012, Tobias spent more than four decades in broadcast and on-line newsrooms as a manager, reporter, and radio news anchor. He’s won several national broadcast awards. As an MS patient communicator, Ed consults with healthcare and social media companies. He’s the author of “We’re Not Drunk, We Have MS: A tool kit for people living with multiple sclerosis.” Ed and his wife split time between the Washington, D.C. suburbs and Florida’s Gulf Coast.
https://www.themswire.com
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One comment

  1. Shawnee Rose Bush says:

    Can we do the umbilical cord stem cell now? I did go to Chicago & had the stem cells removed & put back into my body. Some symptoms improved & some improved greatly for a week or more, but went back.

    Reply

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