Stem cells to slow progress of MS?

Stem cells could help multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who may require home care, research has shown.

A study published in the American Academy of Neurology followed the recovery of patients who had had their bone marrow replaced following chemotherapy.

During the process, chemotherapy drugs are used to kill all of the patients' blood cells. Bone marrow stem cells are then purified and transplanted back into the body.

It was found that the probability of participants not experiencing a worsening of their MS for 15 years after the treatment was 25 per cent.

Study author Vasilios Kimiskidis, from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School in, said that more research must be done on the treatment.

"This is not a therapy for the general population of people with MS but should be reserved for aggressive cases that are still in the inflammatory phase of the disease," he added.

In other MS news, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has announced that it is to review its clinical guidance for the condition.

Read about Barchester expertise in offering multiple sclerosis support.