![]() Martino said researchers decided to examine the use of fetal stem cells as MS treatment based on previous studies they had conducted: Gianvito Martino, the study’s lead author, professor of experimental biology and vice-rector for research and third mission at the San Raffaele Vita-Salute University in Milan, and scientific director of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute.ĭr. Stem cell therapy is currently under evaluation as a treatment for MS by other researchers and other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and certain cancers. test the safety and efficacy of new drugs.create healthy cells to replace unhealthy cells in the body.Stem cells are also obtained from extra embryos created during in vitro fertilization (IVF), umbilical cord blood, and fetuses donated for scientific research. Researchers obtain stem cells from various adult body parts, including bone marrow, blood, and skin. For example, stem cells in the bone marrow can turn into different types of blood cells. As we develop further, some of this ability is lost, and cells become pluripotent, meaning they can turn into one of many different types of cells. Stem cells in embryos are considered totipotent in that they can turn into any cell in the body. Scientists have not yet differentiated stem cells into a specific cell type and consider them the “raw material” of the body. The study appears in the journal Nature Medicine. Now researchers from the IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, show transplanting fetal stem cells into the spinal cords of people with progressive MS helped increase the number of neuroprotective molecules in their spinal fluid after three months.Īnd two years after the treatment, study participants provided with higher doses of transplanted stem cells did not experience as much reduction in the brain’s gray matter compared to those given a lower dose. ![]() And while the life expectancy for people with MS has increased over the years, they have an average life span between 25 to 35 years following diagnosis. The research team also found those given the largest dosage of stem cells experienced less reduction of gray matter in the brain.Ībout 2.8 million people worldwide live with multiple sclerosis (MS) - a chronic neurological condition affecting the body’s nervous system.Īlthough treatments are available to help lessen the many symptoms of MS, there is currently no cure.Researchers from the IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan found transplanting fetal stem cells into the spinal cords of people with MS helped increase the neuroprotective molecules in their spinal cords.Almost 2.8 million people globally live with multiple sclerosis (MS), for which there is currently no cure.
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