Is stem cell therapy for MS safe and effective?

Question

Hello doctor,

My 29-year-old sister has been battling multiple sclerosis (MS) for six years now, and the disease is progressing rapidly despite all the conventional treatments. Her neurologist says she is non-responsive to the standard medications. We have been looking into stem cell therapies after seeing amazing results online.

A clinician demanded a hefty amount for something called expanded mesenchymal stem cells, but her regular doctors say it is all a scam. She just lost feeling in her right arm last month, and the fatigue keeps her in bed most days. Her insurance would not cover experimental treatments, but we are willing to use our parents' retirement fund if there is real hope. How can we tell legitimate stem cell treatments from fake ones?

Are there clinical trials she could join instead of paying for these clinics? Her MRIs show seven new lesions. Time feels like it is running out as she gets worse each month. The clinician said they can "reset her immune system," but they cannot provide any peer-reviewed studies. Would stem cells from her bone marrow be better than the umbilical ones they advertise?

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease and a complex disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that is associated with the loss of axons and long-term progressive disability that tends to be irreversible. There is no effective therapeutic method for this disease. Current medications can only manage and relieve the progression of the disease but do not treat it thoroughly and cannot prevent recurrence.

Recent studies have shown that cell-based therapies can repair the CNS and protect it against inflammatory responses caused by the immune system. Cell-based therapies that rely on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are multipotent cells with high self-renewal capabilities and immunomodulatory effects, have provided a new window for the prevention and treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases, such as MS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Thank you.