Evaluation of Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation (Effects and Side Effects) in Multiple Sclerosis

Overview

Multiple sclerosis is a multifocal inflammatory disease of the central nervous system which affects young individuals and causes paralysis of the limbs, sensation, visual and sphincter problems. The disease is caused by an autoimmune mechanism, ie the immune system produces antibodies and cells which attack the self myelin antigens, causing therefore demyelination. The disease is clinically evident with relapses of neurological disability due to the dysfunction of the areas (plaques of multiple sclerosis) in which damage of myelin occurs. Disability can accumulate with time and the disease enters a progressive phase due to damage of the axons and irreversible neurodegeneration. Although, effective immunotherapies exist which downregulate the autoimmune anti-myelin reactivity and reduce the rate of relapses of MS (like Copaxone and interferons), there is no effective means today to stop the progression of disability and induce rebuilding of the destroyed myelin.Adult bone marrow derived stromal cells (MSC) were shown to induce similar (to the neuronal stem cells) immunomodulatory and neuroregenerative effects and were shown in our laboratory to induce neuroprotection in the animal model of chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). These bone marrow derived MSCs offer practical advantages for clinical therapeutic applications, since they can be obtained from the adult bone marrow and therefore the patient can be the donor for himself, without any danger for rejection of the cells. In addition, MSCs carry a safer profile and are less prone to malignant transformation. Our center will perform a clinical trial with intra venous transplantation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell.our purpose is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of cell transplantation after 1year following up.

In the clinical trial 30 patients with multiple sclerosis who are drug resistance will take apart.Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria patients are chosen.Bone marrow aspiration will be done for all of them under local anesthesia.Patients are randomly divided in 2 groups:case and control. Then mesenchymal stem cells which are separated and prepared will be transplanted by intravenous injection to the patients in case group and the cells which obtain from patients in control group are frozen and inject after 6 months. Patients will be followed by Evaluation of EDSS MSFC RAO Test brain and cervical MRI and quality of life questionnaire after 1th 3th 6th and 12th months after transplantation.all these tests will be done before transplantation as basic evaluation.