Treating Multiple Sclerosis with Cord Blood

Multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs when the immune system responds abnormally to the body’s nervous system. Over time, nerves connecting to the brain deteriorate, leading to numbness, loss of vision, fatigue and tremors. There is currently no cure for MS. However, research suggest MS might be treated with cord blood in the future.

MS is triggered when the body’s immune system attacks myelin, the protective coating that surrounds the nervous system. When this happens, communication between the brain and the rest of your body is slowed, which results in nerve deterioration.

Because the nervous system performs a wide variety of tasks, the disease is difficult to properly diagnose. Symptoms vary from difficulty walking to dizziness to shock sensations throughout the body. In many cases, patients with MS stop experiencing side effects for several months or even years – then these symptoms return suddenly, known as a relapse or a flare-up.

While the exact cause is unknown, most researchers believe genetics and the surrounding environment contribute to MS. The condition is split into four different courses, depending on certain characteristics.

Course of MS

Relapse-remitting MS

This type of MS is the most common – doctors categorize RRMS with frequent symptom “flare-ups”, followed by asymptomatic periods. Nearly 85% of MS patients are diagnosed with RRMS.

Secondary-progressive MS

While most patients are diagnosed with RRMS, their condition usually advances into secondary-progressive MS – called SPMS. This means patients experience symptoms more often, with fewer breaks in between side effects.

Primary-progressive MS

This condition, known as PPMS, has the most instances of relapse or flare-ups, and nerve system damage happens at a steady rate. Roughly 10% of MS patients are diagnosed with this course.

Progressive-relapsing MS

The most severe form of MS, progressive-relapsing multiple sclerosis – PRMS – is a steady deterioration of the nervous system. However, patients will experience spikes in their symptoms, where side effects get much worse for a short period of time.

Symptoms

Common symptoms for MS include:

  • Numbness
  • Loss or blurring of vision
  • Tremors
  • Fatigue
  • Bowel and bladder problems
  • Dizziness

Stem cells and MS

Doctors treat symptoms of MS with a combination of medications like interferon, copaxone and immune suppressants. These drugs block immune responses, and can reduce side effects. However, medications don’t repair any damage to the nervous system caused by MS, and they will not cure the disease.

While there is no cure for MS, researchers are looking to stem cell therapy as a possible treatment for nervous system and tissue injury. These cells can improve the immune system’s ability to support the body, and regenerate damaged nervous system tissue. There is a clinical trial underway for MS treatment using stem cells.

Stem cell therapy

As more researchers use umbilical cord cells in clinical trials, they are reporting the treatment abilities of cord blood. Compared to bone marrow cells, cord blood is safer, quicker and easier to match. When cord blood cells are collected, the umbilical cord is cleaned and sterilized, and cells are removed from the blood.

Traditionally, bone marrow is used in most stem cell transplants. However, patients using bone marrow require an exact match for the therapy to be successful, and have a high chance for graft-versus-host disease. This condition occurs when donated stem cells attack the host’s body after a transplant, and can be very dangerous. Cord blood has a lower risk for these complications, and doesn’t require an exact match.

Advantages of cord blood treatment

  • Cord blood stem cells don’t require an exact match for a successful transplant, so patients using these cells have more treatment options
  • Stem cells derived from cord blood are the most anti-inflammatory source of cells in the body
  • Cord blood is painless to collect, unlike bone marrow, which can harm donors
  • Cord blood may be the most potent source of cells in the body, even compared to bone marrow

Cord blood stem cells are in clinical trials for MS treatment. Find out more about banking options for cord blood here.