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Most of us will be familiar with the trials involving bone marrow derived stem cells.Here are two articles detailing an Australian man and two American men. It sounds as though all three have (had) RR, two of the men were younger, one of those was wheelchair bound.


http://www.frcblog.com/2009/12/multiple ... tem-cells/


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healt ... tment.html


I would quite like a bone marrow stem cell transplant. I can't help but think that the chemo may have been responsible though (a la Revimmune)...

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Yes, newspaper articles and TV interviews don't give too much away!

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Wow! MS damage will be reversed in 300 years! How happy I feel! I will only be 329 years old at that time! What interesting articles and what great researchers they are! They give me much hope!

sou(r)

sou, I know, the news is never that good ):

I really need some good news.. If I hear of any I will let you know

You know Sou, there was some good news earlier in the month.

I am (fairly) excited by the research being conducted by Dr Zhegang at the Boston Children's Hospital and Dr Smith's team at the Carleton University in Canada. Both are investigating nerve regeneration resulting from the repression of a molecule called SOCS3. The research looks very promising.

Basically, although Zhegang is investigating suppression of the molecule in combination with a growth factor, they have both encouraged the functional recovery of nerves in mice.

They believe that this molecule is responsible for the dampening down of repair in the adult human brain. In theory this experiment would repair nerves in the human brain.

We have to keep up hope..

I am being evaluated by Dr. Burt on the 30th. I'm quite excited about the prospect of taking a 'giant step' against this attacker.
I wondered about the 'reimmune effect' as well, but frankly, I don't care where the results come from, he's had some very consistent, positive outcomes.
There are some good things in the pipeline it seems, but at 53, by the time any of these are FDA approved, and the healthcare insurance sqabble settles, etc etc..I'll be too old to be considered a candidate. I'll skew (sp?) the numbers. I've got alot of things I need to do, I'm not too old as far as I'm concerned!!!
Unfortunately this phase III trial is randomised against standard tx. I dont want to be randomised. I want the stem cell tx arm, as opposed to tysabri which is the only tx I haven't used as yet. Nope, I lied, they could put me on mitoxantrone.
Ah, if I just had a couple extra hundred thousand, I could buy me a new immune system....
That's the other battle, since this is not funded by a pharm co., this is pt funded, so I have to talk my insurance co. into the logic of Dr. Burt's tx.

I'm just excited about the prospect of something working!

Dear Msmything, it is not hundred of thousands dollar.... just 20-25 thousand.. ....

The study at northwestern includes 2 hospital stays, one for 2-3 days, another for 3- 4 weeks.
The 3-4 week stay is in protective isolation. Very expensive. You will be there until you t cell count gets high enough for you to leave. Thereafter reasonable precautions must be taken for a couple of months.
Even if you are not randomized to the translant arm of the study, you will undergo chest x ray, sinus ct scan, MUGA to determine heart health, ekg, blood tests, skin tests, urinalysis, pulmonary function test, lymphopheresis(which will be sent to the NIH for analysis).
Plus, as part of the study there are numerous MRI's included, more than one neuropsych evals and the participation in the study is for five years.
You will see your local neuro every month for 2 months, eevery 3 months for 5 years, during these visits, you will have a complete physical, and perhaps may have to undergo leukopheresis from time to time.

AND of course at any time there may be additional tests as they see fit, to make sure you are safe.

I know this sounds like alot, that's why they won't even see you to evaluate you except by recommendation of your neurologist.

msmything - Good luck!

Elmarino, thank you so much, I'm quite excited to meet this man, I certainly hope to be assigned to the transplant arm.

What's the matter with Elmarino? It's got a bit of a 'continental' feel to it LOL!

oh, sorry Msmything, I did not realize all that. good luck anyway....

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Thanks Carolew, I really want to be randomized to the stem cell arm of the study!!! However, they will put you on Tysabri if you're not assigned to stem cell.
If you don't do well on tysabri they will cross you over to the stem cell. so eventually you go onto the 'best tx available' for you. So again it comes to the insurance company blessing I'll need.

Lyon, I feel safe in the research the Dr. Burt is doing with stem cells and MS because of the shear amount of time he's been working on it. Plenty of time to have made many mistakes, and then refined the procedures. He started better than 20 years ago at the NIH/Johns Hopkins. Nice pedigree..