This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

The Canadian MS society has been funding a bone marrow transplant project -run by Dr Mark Freedman. They take away some bone marrow and freeze it and then kill off your immune system with chemo drugs. The bone marrow is then used to give you a new immune system - hopefully free of the immune cells that are thought to cause MS. The treatment is pretty extreme and one brave patient died. To date some 12 patients have gone through the treatment and it has stopped the progression of their MS. In some cases patients have experienced improvements. In one case a young woman who was getting worse underwent the treatment and has seen impressive results. No one knows if it is a cure and will not be able to assess this for a number of years. Here is the tv article on this story. Double click on the picture on the screen.

http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/duthie_ms060315.mov

It's one of those nice MS stories which must give us hope.


Ian

PS Arron, I copied the clip from anther site so apologies if I have broken any rules.

Some more info about this... here's a link to a previous forum discussion.

http://www.thisisms.com/modules.php?nam ... hlight=ctv



And here is the article from CBC

Woman with MS shows remarkable progress in stem cell trial

Last Updated Wed, 15 Mar 2006 14:14:04 EST
CBC News

A woman near Ottawa has surpassed all expectations after risking her life to take part in a medical experiment for multiple sclerosis.

In 1996 at the age of 21, Jennifer Molson of Kanata, Ont., woke up with a tingling in her fingers that spread to her arms. Within a few months, she could hardly move her left side.

Molson was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks itself, causing damage to the spinal cord, nerves and brain.

Molson has the most common form of MS, the relapsing remitting variety, said Dr. Mark Freedman, a neurologist in Ottawa.

She eventually needed to use a cane and leg brace and was headed for life in a wheelchair. Freedman asked her to become involved in a medical study with a big hitch.

"We could offer her a chance at stopping her disease, but at the same there, there was a risk that she may die," said Freedman.

Over several months in 2002, doctors harvested stem cells from Molson's blood, removed all traces of MS, and then gave her high doses of chemotherapy to wipe out her immune system. Then the stem cells were transplanted back to her.

For the first two years, Molson recovered slowly. She planned her wedding and walked down the aisle wearing a wig, but no leg braces.

The young woman who couldn't tie her shoelaces is now able to go for walks and take care of household chores.

"I can get in the car and go to work," said Molson. "I can't believe I'm the same person."
MS can cause damage to the spinal cord, nerves and brain.

None of the other 11 participants in the study has gotten worse, but Molson has shown the most improvement so far.

Doctors can't explain why, but the experiment may answer some important questions about MS, said Dr. Jock Murray, past director of the MS clinic at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

"The idea that you might be able to stop the disease by a process like this one is extremely hopeful," Murray said.

Molson thinks she is cured but doctors aren't ready to declare it, saying no one knows how long the effects will last.

_________________
Dunmann.

Hello everyone, I am # 16 in this study and should be starting it in May, will keep everyone posted when I can get to a computer, I was looking for help as to recovery vitamins or supplements, Dr Freedman has encouraged me to take anything I think might help as long as it does not effect my procedure. Thanks for your input, see you soon.

This is actually the same thing Dr. Brodsky of Drexler University has been doing for a number of years. He treated about 6 or 7 patients using high doses of cyclophosphomide to kill of their immune system and then rebuilding it using the patients own stem cells. The one important thing that I read in regards to this Binder is to make sure you drink plenty of water. They recommend for the aforementioned drug if that is indeed what your doctor will be using at least a gallon a day. This helps lower the chances of preventing bladder / liver complications. Goodluck with your procedure binder. I hope everything goes well for you.

Binder,

Best of luck with the treatment - keep us in touch with how things go (I nearly said progress).

Ian

Hi, that´s me from Czech republic, sometimes I contribute to this forum. There is now about 16 patients who were cured through Bone Marrow Transplantation in Czech republic and nobody died. Someone´s MS has stopped, someone´s conditions has much improved much, somone´s a little.

Through quite a good result the Bone Marroew Transplantation can done when no cure is succesfull. It´s hopeful cure, but also still risky.

One my friend from a czech club for MS patients is now lieyng in a hospital after this treatment. And I´m prying for her every day, because some complications appeared (infection,...). Nobody can know, if she get it under control.