New York research centre to conduct stem cell clinical trial for multiple sclerosis

[barbara]

New York research centre to conduct stem cell clinical trial for multiple sclerosis

Written by MT staff
Aug. 14, 2013 – The Tisch MS Research Center of New York announced it has received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence a phase one trial using autologous neural stem cells in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic human autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that leads to myelin damage and neurodegeneration. The disease affects approximately 2.1 million people worldwide.

"To my knowledge, this is the first FDA-approved stem cell trial in the United States to investigate direct injection of stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients, and represents an exciting advance in MS research and treatment," said Dr. Saud A. Sadiq, senior research scientist at Tisch MS Research Center of New York, based in New York City, and the study's principal investigator.

The groundbreaking study will investigate a regenerative strategy using stem cells harvested from the patient's own bone marrow. These stem cells will be injected intrathecally (into the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the spinal cord) in 20 participants who meet the inclusion criteria for the trial. This will be an open label safety and tolerability study. All study activities will be conducted at the Tisch MS Research Center and affiliated International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice.

The clinical application of autologous neural progenitors in MS is the culmination of a decade of stem cell research conducted by a dedicated team of scientists headed by Dr. Sadiq and by Dr. Violaine Harris, research scientist at Tisch MS Research Center.

Preclinical testing found the injection of these cells may decrease brain inflammation and promote myelin repair and/or neuroprotection.

"This study exemplifies the Tisch MS Research Center's dedication to translational research and provides a hope that established disability may be reversed in MS," Dr. Sadiq noted.

Participants will undergo a single bone marrow collection procedure, from which mesenchymal stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells (MSC-NPs) will be isolated, expanded and tested prior to injection. Participants will receive three rounds of injections at three month intervals. Safety and efficacy parameters will be evaluated in all participants through regular follow-up visits.

For more information on this study visit, www.tischms.org

 

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Dr. Oz and Meredith Vieira discuss stem-cell research for multiple sclerosis

Examiner.com
December 12, 2013

Dr. Oz said stem-cell research isn't a futuristic sci-fi concept, but something that can improve people's lives sooner than we think.

On the Dec. 12 episode of the Dr. Oz Show, he spoke to TV journalist Meredith Vieira about her husband's stem-cell clinical trial for multiple sclerosis.

Vieira, 59, has made many sacrifices because of her husband Richard Cohen's multiple sclerosis. In 2011, Meredith left the "Today Show" after five years, in part to spend more time with her Richard, who's legally blind and walks with a cane after MS ravaged his arms and legs.

"Illness is a family affair," Vieira told Dr. Oz. "All of us are living with it."

Cohen, a former producer for CNN, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 25, before he and Vieira met. The couple has been married since 1986 and has three children.

Richard, 65, told Dr. Oz he recently enrolled in a stem-cell clinical trial, which he hopes can one day cure his disease. Multiple sclerosis, a progressive neurological disorder, is incurable but stem-cell research could pave the way toward a cure some day.

A stem cell is a generic "mother" cell that can make exact copies of itself indefinitely and has the potential to become any type of cell in the body. In Cohen's case, the bone marrow from his sternum was extracted and is being transformed to become nerve stem cells that will later be injected into his spinal fluid.

Dr. Saud Sadiq, a neurologist at the Tisch MS Research Center of New York, is overseeing the stem-cell clinical trial that Cohen is participating in. Like Dr. Oz, Sadiq is hopeful that stem-cell research will one day be able to cure a wide range of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Cohen said he doesn't want to get too excited about the chances of curing his MS, but hopes stem-cell research might one day enable him to regain his eyesight and walk without a cane.

For now, he is keeping his expectations low to avoid disappointment. "Expectations are dangerous," said Cohen. "But any marginal improvement would be huge."

In a separate segment of his show, Dr. Oz discussed the Daniel Plan weight-loss program with Pastor Rick Warren, whose congregation has lost over 250,000 pounds so far. Warren said the faith-based plan has helped him lose over 30 pounds and has given him spiritual motivation to improve his health.