Stem cell treatment 'has possible benefits for people with MS'

Groundbreaking stem cell treatment has been found to have benefits for people living with multiple sclerosis.

A new bone marrow stem cell treatment therapy has shown possible treatment benefits for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), it has been claimed.

Researchers from the University of Bristol took a small group of patients and injected them with stem cells from their own bone marrow, according to an article in the Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics journal.

The treatment showed neurological benefits for people living with MS, with none of the sample group experiencing serious adverse side effects, claims study leader professor Neil Scolding.

He said: "Research into the underlying mechanisms is ongoing and vital, in order to build on these results.

"We believe that stem cells mobilised from the marrow to the blood are responsible and that they help improve disease in several ways."

Further study would now be undertaken with a larger sample group, Prof Scolding added.

Around 100,000 people in the UK are known to be living with MS, which is caused by damage to myelin, the protective sheath covering nerve cells.

Read about Barchester expertise in offering multiple sclerosis support.