In June 2016 researchers in Canada published results of a long-term HSCT trial involving 24 people with aggressive relapsing-remitting MS whose disease was not controlled with available therapies. Three years after the procedure, 70% remained free of disease activity, with no relapses, no new MRI-detected inflammatory brain lesions, and no signs of progression. None of the surviving participants experienced clinical relapses or required MS disease-modifying therapies to control their disease, and 40% experienced reductions in disability. One participant died and another required intensive hospital care for liver complications. All participants developed fevers, which were frequently associated with infections, and other toxicities.Read more about this study

A multi-center, 5-year trial called theHALT MS Study tested HSCT in 25 people with MS and active disease that was not controlled by disease-modifying medications. The trial was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Immune Tolerance Network. Results presented at the June 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of MS Centers suggest that after five years, 69% of participants experienced no new disease activity after the procedure and did not need disease-modifying therapies to control their disease. Most side effects related to blood cell reductions and infections. When the complete data are published, this trial will be an important addition to research needed to determine whether this approach to stem cell transplantation is safe and effective in people with MS.

In October 2015, researchers at the University of Genoa and other institutions in Italy reported on a small trial of HSCT in seven people with very active relapsing-remitting MS that was not controlled with MS disease-modifying therapy. They underwent a low-intensity lympho-ablative regimen in which the immune system was suppressed but not completely depleted before the stem cell transplant as an approach to reducing toxicity. The investigators did MRI scans (for 3 years) and clinical evaluations (for 5 years). They found dramatic reductions of MRI-detected inflammation after the procedure, but did not achieve complete absence of inflammation. After 5 years, two participants remained stable, one significantly improved, and four had mild disease progression. One experienced a relapse after treatment. No severe side effects occurred. The authors conclude that the low-intensity regimen they used was not sufficient to treat aggressive MS.Read an abstract from the paper(Multiple Sclerosis 2015 Oct;21(11):1423-30) In January 2015, doctors at Northwestern University published their10-year experience of treating people with HSCT. The report included 123 people with relapsing-remitting MS and 28 with secondary-progressive MS. Their method is nonmyeloblative HSCT, in which the immune system is suppressed but not completely depleted before the stem cell transplant. Individuals were followed from 6 months to 5 years, or an average of 2.5 years. The EDSS disability scores improved, compared to pretreatment, by one point or more in 64% of those followed out to year 4. Relapses and MRI-detected disease activity were also reduced. In evaluating which type of individuals benefited from the therapy, the doctors suggested that people with relapsing-remitting MS who had had MS for ten years or less showed improvements in their disability scores, whereas those with secondary-progressive MS or disease duration greater than ten years did not show improvements on their disability scores. They reported no treatment-related deaths or serious infections. ITP (immune-mediated thrombocytopenia), a potentially serious bleeding disorder, developed in 7 people, and thyroid disorders developed in 7 people.Read a summary of their resultsor thepaper in JAMA (Published onlineJanuary 20, 2015).

Ongoing Research in HSCT Additional research is focusing on figuring out who might benefit from this procedure and how to reduce its risks. HSCTis being investigated in Canada, the United States, Europe and elsewhere. For example:

An internationalclinical trialof this procedure, being led by Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, is now recruiting individuals who have not responded to other disease-modifying therapies. THIS TRIAL IS CURRENTLY RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS at its sites at Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, University of Sao Paulo, Uppsala University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.Read moreabout who may be eligible to participate.Dr. Burt and colleaguesrecently publisheda case series exploring outcomes for individuals who underwent the procedure.

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Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant HSCT - National ...