The British press is abuzz today about a new planned trial to test a stem cell therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis. People involved in the study are saying that it's the first trial of its kind to test the potential of stem cells to treat the neurological disorder.
The study is reportedly set to begin later this year and will involve more than 100 patients around the globe. The plan is to harvest stem cells from the bone marrow of participants, grow them in a lab, and then implant them in MS patients. Researchers are hoping that the cells might even reverse some of the nerve damage caused by the chronic condition, which impacts about 100,000 people in the U.K. and 3 million patients globally, according to a BBC report.
It's likely to be a few years before the trial yields any results, but there are a bevy of biotechs that might be interested in this approach to treating MS if it yields good safety and efficacy data. Existing drugs against MS are intended to slow the progression of the debilitating disease, but companies like Biogen Idec ($BIIB), the worlds largest maker of MS drugs, have their eyes on potential ways to heal some of the nerve damage caused by the illness.
''Stem cells hold tremendous potential as a future treatment option for people with MS," Simon Gillespie, chief of the MS Society, which is a partial backer of the study, told The Telegraph. "We are delighted to be funding this world-leading piece of research which shows the power of an international research collaboration and joint working between charities.''
- check out the BBC report
- here's the news from The Telegraph
- get more from the London Evening Standard