• In December 2020, a team from Lithuania published results of a study assessing cognitive dysfunction and physical disability after autologous HSCT. Thirteen people who did not respond to conventional therapies for highly active relapsing MS underwent autologous HSCT and completed 24 months of follow up. Disability progression was measured by the EDSS scale. Two people had one relapse during the first year and three people had one relapse during the second year. EDSS improved in 11 participants (84.6%). Information processing speed and verbal learning improved significantly at 12 months. No transplant-related deaths occurred. Fever was the most common side effect.
Read the paper in Scientific Reports
• Researchers from Florence, Italy report on a small, open-label study involving 26 people with moderate to severe secondary progressive MS who underwent HSCT. Most showed signs of clinical or MRI inflammatory activity in the year prior to the procedure. Five years after the procedure, 42% of participants were stable with no further progression of disability that was reduced to 30% 10 years after transplant. No relapses or inflammatory activity occurred on MRI scans after treatment. These results suggest that HSCT might be appropriate in a subgroup of people with SPMS that have significant inflammatory activity as measured by MRI. Further study in larger numbers are needed to understand who among those with secondary progressive MS might benefit from HSCT. Read a
summary of the findings or an
abstract in
The MS Journal.
• In January 2019, an international team of researchers led by Richard K. Burt, MD (MD (going on research sabbatical late 2019 from Northwestern University, Chicago, IL) published results of the first randomized, control trial of bone marrow stem cell transplant (HSCT) in people with aggressive relapsing-remitting MS. They enrolled 110 people whose MS was not controlled by available disease-modifying therapies. Half received immunosuppressant therapy followed by hematopoietic (blood cell-producing) stem transplant. The other half were switched to a different disease-modifying therapy. Significantly fewer people experienced MS progression in the group that underwent HSCT, compared with the group who were switched to a different MS disease-modifying therapy. There were no deaths or life-threatening adverse events in either group. The investigators consider this study to be preliminary and recommend that further research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine longer-term outcomes and safety.
Read the summary or
read the abstract in JAMA.
• In December 2018, Drs. John Moore, David Ma (St. Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia) and colleagues reported results of a small clinical trial of HSCT conducted at a single medical center in Australia. This trial enrolled 35 people with relapsing-remitting MS or secondary progressive MS whose disease had not responded well to disease-modifying medications. There was no control group or blinding; all participants underwent the HSCT procedure. The team reported on results after following participants from 12 to 66 months after transplantation. After 12 months, 82% remained free of relapses, MRI-detected new or enlarging lesions, and progression (called “Event-Free Survival” or EFS). At two years after transplant, 65% of the group had EFS, and at three years 60%. EFS was better in those who had relapsing MS. Of 8 who experienced MS progression after transplantation, 2 had relapsing-remitting MS and 6 had secondary progressive MS. Twelve of thirteen whose disability scores improved after transplantation had relapsing-remitting MS. At this center, which has a long experience with bone marrow transplants, there were no transplant-related deaths. Many experienced complications expected from the chemotherapy cocktail (called “BEAMS”) used to deplete their bone marrow cells in preparation for the transplant.
Read a summary or
read the abstract in the JNNP.
• In April 2017, researchers in Italy combined and analyzed results from 15 previously published studies of HSCT (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation) involving 764 people with various forms of MS. They found that overall, the procedure showed a significant benefit against disease activity and progression. Two years after transplantation, about 83% of all participants had not progressed; overall, studies involving more people with relapsing-remitting MS had lower progression rates. The pooled results showed an overall transplant-related mortality rate of 2.1%. There were fewer deaths in later studies as researchers gained more experience with the procedure.
Read a summary of more details here or the
abstract in Neurology
• In February 2017, results of an international study were published. The study evaluated long-term outcomes from HSCT in 261 people with different forms of MS. The transplants took place between 1995 and 2006, with a follow-up period of up to 16 years. Several different transplant protocols were followed. After 5 years, 46% still had not experienced any progression or worsening of symptoms, including 73% of those with relapsing MS and 33% of those with secondary progressive MS. Eight deaths (2.8%) occurred within 100 days of the transplant. Most of these occurred during the early development of the procedure; improvements in patient selection and transplant techniques have significantly reduced the mortality. Those with the best outcomes tended to be younger, had relapsing MS, lower accumulation of disability and had used fewer MS therapies prior to the transplant procedure. Additional research is needed to better understand who might benefit from this procedure and how it compares to the benefits of powerful immune-modulating therapies now available.
Read a summary of the results or the
paper in JAMA Neurology
• In February 2017, results were published from a multi-center, 5-year trial called the HALT MS Study. It tested HSCT in 24 people with MS and active relapsing-remitting disease that was not controlled by disease-modifying medications. Results suggest that after five years, 69.2% of participants experienced no new disease activity after the procedure and did not need disease-modifying therapies to control their disease. All participants experienced severe and/or life threatening adverse events. Most of these occurred within the first 30 days after transplant and were related to low white blood cell counts and infections. This trial, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, is an important addition to research needed to determine whether this approach to stem cell transplantation is safe and effective in people with MS. A larger, phase 3 study is in the process of launching (see"Ongoing Research in HSCT" above).
Read a summary of the results or the
paper in Neurology
• In June 2016 researchers in Canada published results of a long-term HSCT trial involving 24 people with aggressive relapsing-remitting MS whose disease was not controlled with available therapies. Three years after the procedure, 70% remained free of disease activity, with no relapses, no new MRI-detected inflammatory brain lesions, and no signs of progression. None of the surviving participants experienced clinical relapses or required MS disease-modifying therapies to control their disease, and 40% experienced reductions in disability. One participant died and another required intensive hospital care for liver complications. All participants developed fevers, which were frequently associated with infections, and other toxicities.
Read more about this study