March 7, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stem Cell Therapy NG-01 Shows Neuroprotective Effects in Trial Administering the stem cell therapy NG-01 ā designed to have neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative properties ā directly into the spinal canal can significantly reduce the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a neuronal damage biomarker, in people with active, progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These are the new…
November 23, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Trial of IMS001 Therapy ImStem Biotechnology announced that the first patient in its Phase 1 clinical trial for IMS001, an investigational treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), has been dosed at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. The trial (NCT04956744) is recruiting participants with an MS diagnosis ages 18 to 65. More information…
November 1, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mono and MS, Cold and Inflammation, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, MS Smartwatch Mono as Child or Teenager Tied to Risk of MS as Adult in Large Study There’s been a lot of buzz about this study, but I don’t think anyone should be surprised about its results. For years, researchers have suspected a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ā the…
October 26, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Stem Cells (MSCs) Fail to Reduce Brain Inflammation in Active MS Into-the-vein treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) failed to significantly reduce brain inflammation or improve clinical conditions among adults with active multiple sclerosis (MS) in an international Phase 2 clinical trial, according to final study data. The trial, which used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess…
September 27, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mesenchymal Stem Cells Show Promise in Preclinical Studies of MS The therapeutic administration of mesenchymal stem cells can improve functional abilities and promote the restoration of lost myelin in rodent models of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of published studies. The findings highlight the potential of these stem cells, but also point to a need for…
July 28, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD FDA Greenlights Stem Cells Trial Aiming to Improve Quality of Life The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to a Phase 2 clinical trial that will assess the efficacy of using adult mesenchymal stem cellsĀ (MSCs) to treat the symptoms of mild to moderateĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). The non-profit Hope Biosciences Stem Cell Research Foundation (HBSCRF),…
December 21, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Dosing Finishes in Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy for Progressive MS Patient dosing has finished in a Phase 2 clinical trial testingĀ NurOwn, BrainStorm Cell Therapeuticsā investigational cell-based therapy for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), the company announced. The trialās top-line results are…
December 9, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplant With NG-01 Treatment Shows Promise in Progressive MS Treatment with NG-01 ā an approach that uses patientsā own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ā safely and effectively delayed disease progression in people with active, progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), according to final data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Delivering these cells directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)…
February 4, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplant Safe and Helps Delay MS Progression, Analysis Shows Transplanting patients’ ownĀ mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a safe therapeutic approach and can delay disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a meta-analysis review shows. The study also showed that cells transplanted to the spinal cord (intrathecal injection) were associated with significantly slower disease progression rates, compared…
July 12, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Phase 2 Trial Testing NurOwn Therapy for Progressive MS Adds Third Clinical Site The Phase 2 clinical trial testing BrainStorm Cell Therapeuticās investigationalĀ NurOwnĀ therapy for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) has added a third clinical site, the company announced. The trial (NCT03799718) now will enroll patients at the Keck School of MedicineĀ ofĀ The University of Southern California (USC), and its academic…
June 10, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Stem Cell Therapy Based on Exosomes May Treat MS, Study in Mice Suggests Exosomes ā tiny vesicles secreted by cells ā collected from bone marrow stem cells and injected into a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) helped to treat the disease, a study reports. Specifically, this treatment eased myelin loss and neuroinflammation in the mice, and improved motor function, the…
March 20, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Treatment with Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Safe with Sustained Benefits for MS, Trial Shows Treatment with umbilical cord stem cells was found to be safe and leads toĀ sustained improvements in disability and brain lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a clinical trial. The study, āClinical feasibility of umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of multiple sclerosis,ā was…
January 10, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Stem Cell Combo Therapy Shows Efficacy in MS Mouse Model, Korean Study Shows A combination therapy of low-dose methylprednisolone and interferon (IFN)-beta-secreting stem cells is effective in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new Korean study suggests. The research, āEffective combination of methylprednisolone and interferon Ī²-secreting mesenchymal stem cells in a model of multiple sclerosis,ā appeared in the…
November 2, 2017 News by Janet Stewart, MSc Myelin-producing Brain Cells Regenerated Using Stem Cells in Early Study Researchers, using two different kinds of stem cells in rats, were able to regenerate oligodendrocytes ā myelin-producing brain cells that are defective in multiple sclerosis (MS). They were also able to grow adult neural stem cells in laboratory cultures and prod them to develop into oligodendrocytes. The exact cause of MS is unknown ā including what triggers attacks on myelin ā but the loss of oligodendrocytes seen in the disease is known to play a role in its progression. Nerve cells in the brain send their signals through their axons, long arm-like structures that extend out from the centers of the nerve cells. The signals are electrical pulses transmitted along the length of an axon.Ā Oligodendrocytes provide the insulation ā called myelin ā that wraps around axons, speeding up the transmission of electrical signals through the nerve cells. Loss or malfunction of oligodendrocytes means that signaling in the brain is impaired. It is this slowing of signaling that is thought to cause MS symptoms. Researchers from the Heinrich-Heine-University, Germany, with support from British and Chilean colleagues, designed a novel approach to regenerate oligodendrocytes, according to a press release. Stem cells are immature cells that give rise to differentiated cells ā cells with a specific function, such as oligodendrocytes. Adult neural stem cellsĀ can divide and produce nerve cells and other brain cells, including oligodendrocytes. However, in normal circumstances, the regeneration of cells that take place in the human brain is not enough to repair the damage seen in MS. The researchers set out to find conditions that would promote the differentiation of adult human NSCs into oligodendrocytes. They discovered that another type of stem cell, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), could provide the signals required. First they tested their system in rats, and found that by using factors produced by human MSCs, they could induce the growth of new oligodendrocytes in the animals. Then they grew adult NSCs in the laboratory, and using the same factors from human MSCs were able to promote the establishment of oligodendrocytes in the cultured cells.
July 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Cell-Based Therapies in MS Remain Experimental, Expert Group Argues in Review Article A group of experts recently concluded that clinical trials are the best way to explore whether cell-based therapies are viable options for treating multiple sclerosis. In a newly published article, MS researchers reviewed evidence on a range of cell therapies, including stem cell transplants and delivery or stimulation of various cell types. Clinical trials, the panel argued, would be the optimal way to examine which types of cells should be used, how they should be delivered, and the types and disease stages the treatments are suitable for. The article focused on four types of cell-based treatments: autologous stem cell transplants, mesenchymal and related stem cell transplants, use of drugs to manipulate stem cells in the body to boost their ability to repair, and transplants of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells to trigger new myelin production. Loss of the myelin that protects neurons is a hallmark of MS. Such treatments hold promise to attain what current disease-modifying therapies in MS have not: halting the disease without lifelong treatment that has potential side effects, and regenerating damaged tissue. In addition to reviewing the evidence surrounding cell-based treatments, the expert group focused on the availability of the treatment options outside of controlled trials. āMedia attention has resulted in some cases of misrepresentation and exaggeration of therapeutic claims for cell-based therapies for multiple sclerosis and other diseases,ā the team wrote. This has caused patients to seek the treatments ā paying out-of-pocket ā at unregulated clinics. The panel noted that several drugs in development, including opicinumab, are aimed at promoting remyelination. In addition, drugs that are already approved for other conditions might have remyelinating properties, and might be repurposed to treat MS. Although studies are ongoing, the panel noted that it is unclear if the drugs do promote remyelination. Despite ongoing research and ā in some cases ā clinical use of cell-based therapies for MS, these treatments should be considered experimental, the expert group concluded. They again underscored the importance of clinical trials in providing a controlled environment for patients wishing to have cell therapy, as well as a source of evidence for the feasibility of these approaches.
October 21, 2016 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Work to Restore Immune System Balance in Early Study DamagingĀ immune system defects seenĀ in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be repaired using a simple stem cell approach, according to a new study by researchers in China and the U.S. The study, āUmbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reversed The Suppressive Deficiency Of T Regulatory Cells From Peripheral Blood Of…
June 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – Stem Cell Therapy in MS: Exclusive Interview with Dr. Mark Freedman On June 2, a symposium titled “Cell-based therapies in MS” was presented at theĀ 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). One of the speakers was Dr.Ā Mark S. Freedman, professor of medicine (neurology) at the University of OttawaĀ inĀ Canada, who discussed the use of stem…