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Research on Faulty Stem Cells Suggests MS Patients Need Tailored Therapies

April 6, 2017 | Southmedia

Source Multiple Sclerosis News Today:

Brain stem cells from primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients lack the ability to repair brain damage and to trigger the maturation of protective myelin-producing cells, a surprising study with far-reaching implications indicates.

Source Multiple Sclerosis News Today:

Brain stem cells from primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients lack the ability to repair brain damage and to trigger the maturation of protective myelin-producing cells, a surprising study with far-reaching implications indicates.

The study also showed that stem cells from individual patients reacted differently to compounds developed to trigger remyelination, suggesting that the underlying problem in PPMS may vary widely among patients. Myelin is a substance essential to the functioning of the nervous system. It is damaged in MS.

Differences in individual patients’ reactions to therapies may explain why most drugs developed for PPMS fail clinical trials despite looking promising in early research. The answer to this issue may be treating progressive MS patients in a personalized manner.

The study’s findings also raise the possibility that stem cell transplants using the patient’s own cells may be ineffective in this aggressive form of MS.  Read on.

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