Can Stem Cells Halt Progression of MS?

Regarding change from baseline in T1 and T2 lesion volume, “we had very low incidence, except for two patients who at about 3.5 to 4.0 years after transplant became positive,” Dr. Nash reported. No other patients had development of significant lesions. The T2 lesion volume actually decreased over time and remained decreased through the five years of follow-up. Starting at about three years after transplantation, the researchers noted stability of brain volume.

The researchers recorded three deaths that were considered to be unrelated to the transplant. Two deaths were thought to be possibly related to progression of MS, and one death was in a patient who had evidence of asthma prior to transplant. “That patient was seen by pulmonary medicine, and it was thought that the patient was reasonable to go on to transplant, but the patient had persistent problems after transplant and died at about four years after the transplant,” Dr. Nash said.

The transplant itself appeared to be well tolerated. “There were few serious complications other than what we might expect from a transplant,” Dr. Nash said. It was highly effective for inducing sustained remission for highly active patients with relapsing-remitting MS through five years, and these patients have not received any maintenance therapy since the transplant. MRI lesion volume was reduced, and the brain volume stabilized at years three through five.

The HALT-MS study was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and run by the Immune Tolerance Network.

—Glenn S. Williams