A person with multiple sclerosis may lose vital abilities and experience quality of life problems. Several FDA-approved clinical trials have looked into stem cells as a potential treatment for the illness, even though medications can be used to address some of its symptoms. While the long-term potential of using stem cells, such as those found in cord blood, to treat the condition has been very encouraging, there are certain hazards involved with completely removing the body’s immune system after a stem cell transplant.
On the other hand, stem cells found in cord tissue might be a safer substitute that nonetheless yields long-term benefits. But those kinds of stem cells haven’t yet been subjected to the same degree of scrutiny in clinical trials.
Even though stem cell therapies are not yet recognised as a standard of care, there have been news stories and reports about MSpatients travelling overseas to receive comparable stem cell treatments and seeing notable improvements in their disease.
What is multiple sclerosis?
Facts about Multiple Sclerosis
The central nervous system is harmed by the degenerative disease known as multiple sclerosis (MS). Currently, it affects between 250,000 and 300,000 Americans and 2.3 million people globally. It is an autoimmune disease in which the fatty layer covering and shielding the brain and spine’s nerves is attacked by the immune system of the individual. From mild to severe, MSsymptoms can include numbness and tingling, visual loss, chronic fatigue, difficulty with balance and coordination, and occasionally a deterioration in memory and cognitive abilities. The illness may cause irreversible damage that results in disabilities like paralysis.
It’s important to note that multiple sclerosis is significantly more common in colder climates, typically developing in between the ages of 20 and 40, and affecting three or four females for every male case.
Most people with multiple sclerosis do not have any preserved for use in clinical treatments because the condition typically manifests later in life. Rather, analogous stem cells from peripheral blood and bone marrow have been used by researchers.
How MS Is Treated Using Stem Cells
Regarding how cord tissue and blood can be used to treat multiple sclerosis, there are several schools of thought:
Currently Clinical Trials
Apart from the present developments to identify patients with multiple sclerosis who would benefit from a stem cell transplant under one of two regimens.
In the Netherlands and Sweden, a closed, ongoing trial is comparing the effects of therapies utilising stem cells, such as those found in cord blood, with the medication alemtuzumab in 100 patients.
60 multiple sclerosis patients are needed for a clinical trial at the University of Jordan in order to examine the impact of physical therapy and umbilical cord tissue stem cells on motor function.