September 29, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Stem cell therapy found safe, effective in RRMS study Nearly three-quarters of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed no signs of disease activity five years after receiving a stem cell transplant, according to a recent Swedish study. Moreover, about half of patients with at least minimal disability saw improvements after the transplant and about one-third remained stable.
May 22, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem cell therapy may be better than some DMTs for highly active RRMS Stem cell therapy is better than Gilenya (fingolimod) or Tysabri (natalizumab) at reducing relapse rates and easing disability for people with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new analysis suggests. In contrast, findings suggest that the efficacy of stem cell therapy is not significantly different…
May 17, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem cell therapy may do most good when given early People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have never received treatment with a disease-modifying therapy tend to have better long-term outcomes after stem cell transplant, according to a recent report from a center in Mexico. The findings suggest that stem cell therapy may be most beneficial when given…
November 2, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ECTRIMS2022 ā Analyses Weigh Stem Cell Transplant Versus DMTs Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) is superior to Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tysabri (natalizumab) at preventing relapses and reducing disability in people with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In turn, aHSCT appears to be as effective as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in RRMS patients and also was…
October 4, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem Cell Transplant May Halt Nerve Fiber Damage in RRMS: Study Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) reduces markers of nerve fiber and myelin damage in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a small study done in Sweden. “We investigated if therapeutic intervention with aHSCT could halt the injurious process leading to tissue damage in MS,” researchers wrote.
August 4, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Stem Cell Transplant Found to Reduce MS Relapses, Ease Disability Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT), a procedure that aims to “reset” the immune system, generally reduces disability and relapse rates in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new meta-analysis. “Current data encourage a broader application of AHSCT for treating patients with MS while still considering…
March 22, 2022 News by Hawken Miller Stem Cell Transplant Gaining Ground as MS Therapy Option Nothing was working for Jennifer Stansbury Koenig, who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in 2010 the day before she learned she was pregnant. The first disease-modifying therapy (DMT) Koenig started in 2013, Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), an oral capsule developed and marketed by Biogen, made her…
February 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2022 ā Immune System ‘Reset’ by Stem Cell Transplant Undergoing a stem cell transplant, a procedure that aims to “reset” a person’s immune system, can reduce relapse rates and ease disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new data show. The findings suggest that such a transplant ā fully, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or aHSCT ā is…
February 11, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Blood Stem Cell Transplant May Help Immune System Longer Treatment with an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) seems to reboot the immune system in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients for at least three years, a small study found. The study, āSustained immunotolerance in multiple sclerosis after stem cell transplant,ā was published in Annals of Clinical and…
October 21, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD National MS Society Supports Stem Cell Transplant for Select, Aggressive RRMS The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports the use of a patient-derived bone marrow transplant to treat people with very aggressive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who responded poorly to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). This position is in line with a recent set of society recommendationsĀ on how and in…
October 18, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: AHSCT for SPMS, Rituximab, Sativex, Smoking This week’s column focuses on stories from Multiple Sclerosis News Today reporters who have been following the annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, or ECTRIMS. #ECTRIMS2021 ā Stem Cell Transplant May Better Treat SPMS Than DMTs This presentation involves autologous…
October 15, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ECTRIMS2021 ā Stem Cell Transplant May Better Treat SPMS Than DMTs Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the virtual 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Oct. 13ā15. GoĀ here to see the latest stories from the conference.
June 14, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cell Trial, Young PWMS and DMTs, Exoskeleton, Tests for Kids Stem Cell Transplant Trial Enrolls First Patient in Minnesota It looks as if we’re moving closer to the day when stem cell transplants become an approved MS treatment in the U.S., at least I hope so. A trial is enrolling subjects to test the stem cells against several…
February 1, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Pediatric MS, Rituximab, AHSCT, Zeposia Tecfidera Safe and Effective Over Long Term in Children With RRMS, Trial Shows In my view, too little attention has been paid to treating children and teens with MS between the ages of 10 and 18. Though things seem to be improving, only one disease-modifying therapy, Novartisā Gilenya (fingolimod),…
January 25, 2021 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Stem Cell Transplant Can Produce Long-term Benefits in Relapsing MS Patients A stem cell transplant can prevent disability progression and maintain disease remission over long periods of time in most patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who failed to respond adequately to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), a study reports. The study, āLong-Term Clinical Outcomes of Hematopoietic…
December 14, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Fatigue Trial, Pediatric MS Relapses, Stem Cell Transplant MS Patients Urged to Enroll in Clinical Trial Assessing Chronic Fatigue Treatments My “MS Wire” column 10 days ago reported on a study of MS fatigue treatments that compared three medications with a placebo. The study found that none of the medications were much better than the placebo.
December 10, 2020 News by Diana Campelo Delgado Stem Cell Transplant Reduces Relapses and Disability in RRMS, Study Suggests Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) induces a reduction in relapse rate and physical disability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who respond inadequately to other treatments, a small study suggests. The study, āSelective cognitive dysfunction and physical disability improvement after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation…
November 13, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Bone Marrow Transplant Most Useful for Younger Patients, MS Society Experts Suggest A bone marrow transplant may be particularly useful for those with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who, despite treatment with high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), continue to experience relapses or show signs of new lesions, experts say. According to new recommendations from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,…
November 10, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stem Cell Transplant More Effective Than Lemtrada in Treating RRMS, Study Suggests An autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantĀ (AHSCT) is more effective than LemtradaĀ (alemtuzumab) at achieving no evidence of disease activity and preventing relapses in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), a real-life study in Sweden reported. Adverse events (side effects) were more frequent with AHSCT over the first three…
October 30, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias aHSCT Gets a Boost in US With NMSS Recommendations Is the United States a step closer to approving a form of stem cell transplantation as a treatment for multiple sclerosis? I believe it may be. That’s because the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has slightly changed its view of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or aHSCT. aHSCT involves…
February 20, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Bone Marrow Transplant Can Replace Overactive Immune Cells, Preventing Inflammation in MS, Study Says A bone marrow transplant can remove the majority of overactive immune T cells from the central nervous system (CNS) in patients with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), allowing the body to replace them with healthy ones, a study has found. This opens up new treatment avenues to…
January 9, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia New Trial Compares Stem Cell Treatment to Available Therapies for Severe Relapsing MS A new clinical trial is comparing the best available therapies to an experimental stem cell therapy to treat severe forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). At the moment, more than a dozen therapies have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsing forms…
December 19, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Patients Largely Favor Blood Stem Cell Transplants But Lack Understanding, Survey Finds ManyĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients consider autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) potentially effective in treating their disease, but most report needing more ā and more reliable ā information to make a reasoned decision regarding its benefits and risks, a survey found. Those who are dissatisfied with their current…
September 12, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 ā Promises and Warnings About Stem Cell Therapy Stem cell therapy, or stem cell transplant, is an emerging yet controversial treatment approach for multiple sclerosis (MS). While some data uphold it as one of the most efficacious MS treatments, to date there have been no controlled studies comparing it to conventional medicines and providing more robust…
October 17, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Stem Cell Transplant Effectively Lessens Disability in Patients with Aggressive MS, Study Finds Treatment with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) led to a safe and rapid lessening of disability and no clinical relapses in patients with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The research, āThe use of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as a…
October 8, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: aHSCT and Fatigue, What’s Hot at ECTRIMS?, Genes that May Impact MS Lower Fatigue Reported by MS Patients After aHSCT in Canadian Study Fatigue affects 90 percent of people with MS. It certainly impacts my life. This study, though very small, reports a 36 percent reduction in the median modified Fatigue Impact Scale (mFIS) score three years after autologous…
October 2, 2018 News by Ashraf Malhas, PhD Lower Fatigue Reported by MS Patients after aHSCT in Canadian Study A small group of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with aggressive disease, who were treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplant in a clinical trial, reported a drop in their fatigue levels that researchers suggested was likely due to lesser inflammation. The study, “Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation improves…
April 30, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye This Week: aHSCT Studies, MS Progression in African-Americans, Gilenya for Pediatrics #AAN2018 ā Stem Cell Transplant is Effective Treatment for āAggressiveā MS, Study Shows I like the fact that a study shows that stem cell transplant treatment is effective for aggressive MS. I love the fact that the efficacy was dramatic, reducing theĀ Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) levels…
April 27, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #AAN2018 ā Stem Cell Transplant is Effective Treatment for ‘Aggressive’ MS, Study Shows Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, also known as aHSCT, has been shown to be safe and highly effective to treat patients with "aggressive" multiple sclerosis. Tested in 19 patients, transplantation of stem cells was found to induce clinically meaningful improvements in disability. These findings were shared at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Los Angeles, California. aHSCT uses a patientās own healthy bone marrow stem cells, in combination with a much less aggressive chemotherapy and/or radiation regimen, to prepare the patient for the transplant. Previous studies have suggested that aHSCT is an effective strategy to treat patients with highly active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) who do not respond to available disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), and international guidelines advocate for its use in patients with "aggressive" MS. To further demonstrate the potential of aHSCT as a treatment for "aggressive" MS, a research team evaluated its safety and effectiveness in MS patients who had not been treated previously with DMTs. A total of 19 patients were treated across several clinical centers: seven patients were from Sheffield, U.K., seven from Uppsala, Sweden, four from Ottawa, Canada, and one patient was from Florence, Italy. All patients received aHSCT between May 2004 and May 2017. In addition to aHSCT, patients were treated with BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) chemotherapy plus antithymocyte globulin (ATG) to reduce transplant rejection, or with Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) with ATG, or the triple combination of Cytoxan, ATG, plus busulfan as conditioning regimens. Patients had a median age of 33 years at diagnosis and received the aHSCT by a median time of nine years after symptom onset. They had a median disability score of 6.5 before the treatment, as determined by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). After a median follow-up period of 30 months, patients had a median EDSS score of 2.0, which represented a median improvement of 2 points (the higher the score, the worse the patient's disability level). None of the patients had clinical relapse following the transplant of stem cells. Only three patients developed new brain lesions detectable by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the first six-month follow-up evaluation, but no additional new lesions were detected in the following scans. The adverse effects reported during the study were comparable to those previously observed in similar treatments. No deaths related to the treatment were reported. Based on these preliminary results, the researchers concluded that aHSCT is āsafe and highly effective in inducing rapid and sustain remissionā in highly active MS, and "was associated with a significant improvement of [patientās] level of disability.ā āaHSCT should be considered as first line therapy in patients with āaggressiveā MS,ā the team concluded. Another study presented at the AAN 2018 meeting further supports these findings, demonstrating the superior effectiveness of aHSCT over conventional DMTs for RRMS.
March 26, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Stem Cells, Sense of Smell, Cannabis Guide Blood Stem Cell Transplants Improve RRMS Patientsā Disability, Phase 3 Trial Shows Here’s yet another study that shows the benefits ofĀ autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or AHSCT ā the procedure in which a patient’s own stem cells are harvested and used to rebuild the…