This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

A question on stem cells answered by Dr Jack Antel.

Q :

Is there any stem cell research taking place in multiple sclerosis?

A :
“Stem cells” can be broadly defined as cells which retain the potential to develop into mature cell types. These can be classified into two major categories:
Ø cells that retain the capacity to develop into any cell type (“pleuripotential stem cells”)
Ø cells that can only develop into nervous system ...

Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. ("SCT") is pleased to announce that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent 7,048,934 to the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Stem Cell Therapeutics Inc. The patent, entitled "Combined Regulation of Neural Cell Production", protects novel methods of treating patients suffering from a variety of central nervous system (CNS) disorders including stroke, brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and others.

The combined regulation method of neural cell production ...

The BBC has broadcast an expose of Biomark now trading in Europe as ACT (Zurich), well worth a listen.

Award-winning medical journalist Matthew Hill investigates the people and the companies offering stem cell treatment. He looks at case studies that provide disturbing results.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/noscript.shtml?/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/stemcellswindle

To listen you will need to have a programme called RealPlayer installed
on your computer. Download it from our the BBC help page -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/audiohelp.shtml

Any information on this topic will be greatly appreciated. :D
My mother suffers from MS and is currently about to start a treatment that takes stem cells from her own body. We don't really know much about this but is it the same as those they take from the placenta? I am currently pregnant and am unsure whether I should save the cord blood. And lastly, ...

Just thought I'd post an article which I found quite exciting.


http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=993540


J.

Stem Cell Innovations, Inc. files patents relating to production of human motor neurons and progenitors

Cells may be useful in therapies for ALS, Parkinson´s, Multiple Sclerosis and other Neuroodegenerative Diseases.

Stem Cell Innovations, Inc. has filed a patent application protecting the differentiation of its proprietary human pluripotent stem cells (PCs) into neural progenitor cells and purified populations of motor neurons. These cells will initially be used in the Company´s core drug discovery and toxicology platform. ...

View of the UK MS Society

http://www.mssociety.org.uk/go.rm?id=16217

Not an MS stem cell story but big news today about the use of stem cells to create a bladder. It's good to know that lots of work is going on behind the scens which should, one day, hopefully be of use with this disease (to repair nerve fibres, or myelin. Or to grow another CNS).

Ian

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4871540.stm

Not MS-specific, but looks like an important step in figuring out how to fix severly damaged spinal cords...



Jell-O Fix for Spinal Cords

By Elizabeth Svoboda - Mar 29, 2006 - Stem cells embedded in futuristic materials may heal decades-old spinal cord injuries and rescue patients from paralysis, if recent experiments in rodents can be replicated in humans.

Stem cells have cured many rats of spinal cord injuries, but the treatment has yet to benefit ...

Canadian researchers use stem cells to help spinal-cord injured rats walk

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian researchers have used stem cells to repair spinal cord damage in laboratory rats, restoring significant mobility in the animals and bringing the search for a human therapy another step closer.

A team led by Toronto neuroscientist Dr. Michael Fehlings extracted stem cells from adult mice, which were transplanted into rats whose spines had been crushed. The stem cells developed into ...