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Canadian trial study show they are getting close

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    Canadian trial study show they are getting close

    http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/s...tml?id=8189161

    This sounds promising may be years away but any cure is worth the wait!

    #2
    This news article speaks about a stem cell therapy. Is it different than the stem cell therapy that Dr. Burt has been performing at Northwestern Univ. for the past 10 years ? This article makes a statement that this treatment has been studied for some time ( 13 years ? ). There are many clinics performing SCT but it seems like it will be a long time before it will be offered as a 'standard' treatment.

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      #3
      What I LOVE about this study (and the scientific process in general): This study wasn't about fixing ms.

      The researchers' goal was to wipe out these patients' immune systems completely SO THAT they could study the initial onset of ms redeveloping in each participant. By identifying early signals of disease onset, they could then potentially be able to develop new drugs based on the signals.

      They, in essence, have failed ... because there has been no initial onset or redevelopment of ms in any of the participants. Whether it's YET or ever ... who knows at this point. I find it fascinating ...

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        #4
        More extreme chemo treatments. no thanks.
        Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

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          #5
          Significant and fascinating so have to go with aspen on this one…

          “The experimental study began about 13 years ago as a last resort for patients who fail to improve on drug therapy and who suffer severe symptoms of MS.
          With MS not returning in any of the 24 participants, patient success stories appear in news media across the country. Since the original study’s completion, about another dozen patients have been treated with all of them showing the same results.

          Eliminating MS completely and watching patients improve surprised both Freedman and Dr. Harold Atkins, a bone-marrow transplant expert, who started the study.”

          Resetting the immune system has risk. But for what appears to be 100% of the MSers participating this procedure worked extremely well. Certainly an area that is getting a lot of attention.

          I may be making an unfortunate characterization but personally I think of Lemtrada as the “poor man’s stem cell treatment”. Essentially, Lemtrada resets the immune system. It definitely has risk but it definitely has worked very well for many in trials, also.

          Fully understand caution expressed by Katje.

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            #6
            I think it is about time to get this stem cell replacement therapy out to a larger sample. What is this bull/// about studying 24 people and then doing another 12 at a later time ? We are a population of about 500,00 MS sufferers and the majority RRMSers can choose to use some drugs to help lessen the severity and frequency of relapses. But for the rest of us, we are left out in the 'cold', to fend for ourselves. So in my mind, if I could get a chance to eliminate this MS disease activity, I would be willing to take the chance on the treatment. I am not a gambler, but anything that shows promise is better than no treatment at all.

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              #7
              My MS symptoms dissapeared for 15 years then came back. I had no chemo. So studies like this really don't impress me.
              Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

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                #8
                Isn't a bone marrow transplant different than injecting with millions of your own stem cells?

                I believe this study focuses on an actual transplant from a donor, not reengineered or harvested stem cells.

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                  #9
                  One of the forms of stem cell replacement therapy, uses chemotherapy to shut down the patients immune system. Several hospitals use this method. The next step is to replace the patient's stem cells, derived from the patient's bone marrow.
                  Some clinics don't use chemo, some do. This stem cell therapy stuff is different at nearly every clinic where it is performed. Many clinics replace the patients own stem cells with stem cells that are derived from the patient's own body. I think that is called 'autologous'. Many clinics perform stem cell treatments but 'all' stem cell treatments are not performed with the same methods. It is considered very experimental.

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                    #10
                    There is more than one way to skin a cat. I do not believe this is the answer and have seen people's MS return after this treatment not to mention a host of new medical issues because they had the chemo.
                    Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

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                      #11
                      Is it just me or did anyone else take offense to these two statements in the article?

                      "Most patients do not become severely disabled"

                      "Also, bone-marrow stem-cell transplants to treat MS are not approved outside of clinical trials because while the disease itself is not deadly"

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                        #12
                        No, in context, I don't find anything offensive about it.

                        Most patients do not become severely disabled because the illness moves slowly. But in Normandin’s case, the destruction was so fast that doctors expected him to need a wheelchair within months.
                        Also, bone-marrow stem-cell transplants to treat MS are not approved outside of clinical trials because while the disease itself is not deadly, the procedure is fatal in as much as five per cent of patients.
                        What about it bothered you?

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                          #13
                          I guess it's because my husband had a very good friend who died from MS complications and a co-worker had a wife to die from complications of MS.

                          I am sooo thankful that I very rarely need a cane for assistance but there are many in wheelchairs and walkers, I see so many at the infusion center who have very significant disability.

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                            #14
                            Oh I see. I read it more like significant like almost paralyzed.

                            I use a walker and will probably be in a chair within a few years but the comments still didn't bother me.

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