Archive for the ‘Multiple Sclerosis Research’ Category

While there is no cure for multiple sclerosis yet, there are plenty of options available that can help treat symptoms, relapses, and the disease itself.

For those most part, those treatments can fall into one of three camps, each with different purposes. Those treatments are medications, corticosteroids, and disease modifying agents.

Let’s look at each a little more closely.

Medications

Medications may be used short term or long term, and for a variety of different reasons. In general, though, most doctors will prescribe medications as part of an effort to minimize the intensity of various symptoms, thereby improving daily function and quality of life. For instance, if MS is resulting in depression for you, a doctor might prescribe antidepressants.

Corticosteroids

Steroids are often prescribed for MS patients as a way of reducing the severity of a flare-up or relapse, and as such, are usually only prescribed over short periods of time, such as a few days up to a few weeks. Prednisone is one of the most commonly prescribed, though there are others as well.

Disease-Modifying Agents

So far the FDA has approved close to a dozen of these drugs, each of which is aimed at slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis. In general they are most often prescribed for patients with relapse remitting MS or secondary progressive MS.

Combination Prescriptions

For most MS patients, their treatment plan may include several different prescriptions from more than one of the categories above. Some treatments work better than others, and what works well for one MS patient may not work at all for another. As a result, it can take time to determine a medication plan that makes sense for your individual case.

Medications and steroids have long been part of MS treatment plans; disease-modifying agents are a little newer, but most MS patients are now on them.

Let’s look a little more closely.

DMA Questions

DMAs aren’t always easy to take, can have serious side effects (which means they require far more monitoring and testing than the more established other classes of MS drugs), and can be quite expensive. While some patients get assistance in paying for these drugs, either through drug trials, financial aid, or spectacular insurance, far more MS patients are forced to pay out of pocket.

And some studies are now suggesting that DMAs may not work, as interferons (the active part of DMAs) may not actually reduce MS progression. At this time, the research remains mixed.

So should you take a DMA. Or what medication should you take?

Medication Guidelines

First, keep in mind that you didn’t go to medical school. Your doctors, on the other hand, did. At the same time, it’s your body, and you have every right to be informed about what goes in it as part of your treatment plan.

Toward that end, I have a few tips:

• Doctors aren’t always right. MS patients should listen to their doctor’s knowledge and expertise, certainly, but they should also have final say as to what goes in their body.

• You rarely if ever will have to make a treatment decision immediately. Instead, you can take your time in doing your research most of the time, as a delay of a few weeks will rarely make a difference in the overall progression of your MS. Use common sense, but also do your research.

• Toward that end, research thoroughly. Look at the drug trials information, the contraindications, and more. Carefully evaluate any study you look at.
• And lastly, know the risks and benefits of any drug you do take. If you’re young especially, consider the long-term risks as well.

There still is no cure for MS, nor is there any magic that it’ll make it disappear. You can, however, manage your treatment and do your homework. You can also take care of yourself by taking your own action, making sure you get plenty of sleep, limit stress, exercise regularly, and eat well. Alternative therapies such as massage or yoga can also help.

No matter what your treatment, though, remember: You are in charge of your MS.

Multiple Sclerosis – An infographic by MS

FEATURED COMPANIES AB Science Artielle Biogen GlaxoSmithKline medDay Pharmaceuticals Novartis AG MORE

About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory medical condition, which results in demyelination, axonal transection, and neurodegeneration of the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord. The immune system of the body targets the neurons within the CNS and damages the myelin sheath. It is a potentially debilitating disease, causing disruption in the communication and coordination functions of the body. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis differ widely, subject to the extent of damage and the number of neurons affected. Some of the symptoms observed are fatigue, numbness, spasticity, bladder dysfunction, cognitive changes, emotional changes, and depression. An individual with severe form of the disease can experience speech and movement problems. Multiple sclerosis can be broadly classified into four types: RRMS, SPMS, PPMS, and PRMS.

The analysts forecast the multiple sclerosis market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% over the period 2014-2019.

Covered in this Report

This report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the multiple sclerosis market in the US for the period 2015-2019. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from sales of various drugs used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

On the basis of route of administration of the drugs, the market is grouped into the following categories: - Oral - Parenteral

On the basis of type of molecule of the drugs, the market is grouped into the following categories: - Small Molecules - Biologics

The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top vendors and competitive performances of their product portfolios in the market. In addition, it discusses the major drivers that influence the growth of the market. It also outlines the challenges faced by vendors and the market at large, as well as the key trends that are emerging in the market.

The report, the multiple sclerosis market in the US 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the multiple sclerosis market in US market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key Vendors - Bayer AG - Biogen - Merck Serono - Novartis AG - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

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Multiple Sclerosis Market in the US 2015-2019 - Research ...

This report covers the latest pharmaceutical global market insights for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease treatments and provides market forecasts, trends, pipelines, patent analysis and profiles of major players within the markets.

Report Highlights:

- The report provides the forecast of global market for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease treatments and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) over the next five years from 2014 to 2019.

- This report make available an invaluable tool for business planners, acquisitions specialists, licensing strategists, product managers, market research analysts, investors, consultant, members of the pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotechnology industries and anyone interested in the MS disease and its future.

- The importance of identifying overall market trends production opportunities, emerging geographic merger and acquisition opportunities, and insights that provides guidance for the sales growth.

- Discussion on market drivers and inhibitors, and the area of unmet clinical need.

- Information on the regulatory environment and impacts of appovals. agencies.

- Determines the current status of the market for disease-modifying multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs, biologics and vaccines, and to assess their growth potential over a five-year period from 2014 through 2019.

- Special focus is placed on how new products and technologies will affect current market leaders in the MS treatment sector.

- Report presents detailed profiles of the MS disease-modifying products on the market around the world and in the U.S.

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Multiple Sclerosis: Treatment and Global Market - Research ...

CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --My MS Manager, the first-of-its kind mobile phone app... This observational study investigates the associations between multiple sclerosis disability and disease type with lower thoracic cord gray matter and white matter areas using phase sensitive inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging at 3T, as well as compares these relationships with those... A team to address both the physical and emotional outcomes of MS relapse is essential to high quality care. Step closer to understanding why men are better protected from MS than womenAn innocent mistake made by a graduate student in a Northwestern Medicine lab (she... Read about how Opexa Therapeutic's Tcelna is truly a personalized therapy for patients with multiple sclerosis. We mobilize people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. Falls Church resident Lisa Emrich was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system, nearly ten years ago.But the first time she experienced what can be one of the more extreme symptoms of the disorder, temporary blindness, was in 2000. That bout of optic neuritis Background Fingolimod efficiently reduces multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse by inhibiting lymphocyte egress from lymph nodes through down-modulation of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors. We aimed to clarify the alterations in peripheral blood T cell subsets associated with MS relapse on fingolimod. Methods/Principal Findings Blood samples successively collected from 23 relapsing-remitting MS patients before and during fingolimod therapy (0.5 mg/day) for 12 months and 18 healthy Via Krishan Maggon New findings published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry have researchers uncovering the cause of "brain fog." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection), used to treat patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Another study suggests that a telehealth system could help objectively monitor dose adherence. A combination of physical, occupational, hand, speech, cognitive, and behavioral therapy improves outcomes. Insurance coverage can be the determining factor on whether a patient receives DMT or not. Read about the upcoming International Multiple Sclerosis Conference to take place in Rome that will focus on the patients' experience to treat the disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated, neuro-inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with a heterogeneous clinical presentation and course. There is a remarkable phenotypic heterogeneity in MS, and the molecular mechanisms underlying it remain unknown. We aimed to investigate further the etiopathogenesis related molecular pathways in subclinical types of MS using proteomic and bioinformatics approaches in cerebrospinal fluids of pati Via Krishan Maggon Intracerebral infection of susceptible mouse strains with Theilers murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) results in chronic demyelinating disease with progressive axonal loss and neurologic dysfunction similar to progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). We previously showed that as the disease progresses, a marked decrease in brainstem N-acetyl aspartate (NAA; metabolite associated with neuronal integrity) concentrations, reflecting axon health, is measured. We also demonstrated stimulation of neurite outgrowth by a neuron-binding natural human antibody, IgM12. Treatment with either the serum-derived or recombinant human immunoglobulin M 12 (HIgM12) preserved functional motor activity in the TMEV model. In this study, we examined IgM-mediated changes in brainstem NAA concentrations and central nervous system (CNS) pathology. The myth that African Americans do not get MS is just that a myth. African Americans do get MS. In fact, studies suggest that MS can be especially active. David Lyons doesn't let his battle against multiple sclerosis knock him off his feet. He's fought back, continuing his bodybuilding training while assisting others by creating the MS Fitness Challenge.

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Multiple Sclerosis Research: natalizumab has a ...

NEW MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS THEORY

By Andrew K Fletcher,

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE CIRCULATION OF FLUIDS IN OUR BODY.

Brief description of nerve structure: We call the nerve fibre, which caries the impulses from the nerve body to control the muscles or other functions, the central axon. This fibre is surrounded with a multi-layered sheath with from about five to more than thirty layers. it resembles a large tobacco leaf, coiled around a central trunk, and is produced by a special cell - the oligodendrocyte. The entire group of cells is called the oligodendroglia. The individual layer of the laminated leaf, which makes up the myelin sheath, is structurally identical with the membrane of a cell. That means it has the capability of holding an electric charge of opposite polarity, thereby fulfilling the function of an electric condenser. We have only understood the function of the myelin sheath in the insulation of the central fibre for about a year. An article that first appeared in the magazine SCIENCE brought it out. Indeed, one can measure the insulating ability of the myelin. When this was done, however, it discovered that the many-layered condenser system, which was constructed in the myelin, acted as an electrical shunt to the central axon. In plain language, this means that we have here a classic Tesla technique, which in all probability converts gravity field energy into the electrical energy necessary for function of the central axon. Dr. Hans A. Nieper: The Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Sept 1985

A closer look at nerves: We have all heard about the fatty insulation around the spinal cord and brain, in which lesions form and cause short circuits, but how many of us have heard that this coating or sheath that protects the nervous system is actually liquid crystal? In fact, it behaves very similar to the substance found in LCD (liquid crystal display) on calculators and wristwatches. Historians now know that some scientists actually saw naturally occurring liquid crystals under their microscopes in the 1850s. These early sightings were made during experiments on the white fatty material known as myelin.

A number of scientists noted that myelin turned liquid when left in water. These liquids seemed to have two different melting points. Not until the 1980s did the answer become apparent. Instead of changing straight into a liquid when heated, these solid materials transform into a kind of intermediate state that emerges at the first melting point, and disappears at the second. Between these two temperatures, the materiel flows like liquid yet keeps some of its optical properties of a solid crystal. In short it has become a "liquid crystal". In a normal liquid molecules are randomly arranged, but the molecules of a warmed liquid crystal retain some of their original orderliness - just enough order for the liquid crystal to retain the optical properties of a solid. Without their liquid crystal structures, living cells could not exist. Although the precise cause of the breakdown of the myelin sheath is still mysterious, it is thought to be tied to the liquid crystal properties of myelin. (Focus November 1994 pages 70-74 by Robert Mathews).

Explanation

The reason that warming liquid assists its ability to dissolve or liquefy soluble minerals is due to the fact that the molecular structure of the liquid, which in this case is water based, is altered by additional heat. The highest alteration before water is vaporised is at boiling point. Boiling water at sea level requires more heat and energy than boiling water at altitude. This is because the atmospheric pressure at high altitude is considerably less than at sea level. In fact when pressure is removed completely within a vacuum chamber, water boils without heat. The Hon. Robert Boyle (1627-91) was first to discover this phenomenon.

An interesting article I read some years ago related to the fact that some people were prone to food poisoning from cooked food when it was prepared at high altitude. Illness occurred because the water, although boiling, was not sufficiently hot enough to kill the bacteria within the food. We of course know that the nervous system does not boil, yet the state of the liquid crystal in the myelin could be encouraged to respond (or re-liquefy) at a slightly lower temperature when exposed to high altitude atmospheric pressure. Oxygen levels at altitude are also greatly reduced in the upper regions of the atmosphere. For instance, the air at Mount Blanc's summit contains only half the oxygen of air at sea level. It is worth considering these two facts while reading the following observations made by two independent accounts. It is also worth considering the fact that a compass needle is attracted to a mountain rather than the pole, due to the mountains mass. Furthermore while standing on top of a mountain the gravitational pull under foot would also be marginally higher and this again, according to my theory, has the most profound implications for circulation throughout the whole of the human anatomy.

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New Multiple Sclerosis Circulation Theory Links Posture ...

HOUSTON -

It's a debate that puts many people's religious beliefs at odds with science.

Medical breakthroughs have allowed doctors to use human stem cells to treat chronic diseases with incredible results, but even patients who benefit have reservations about how stem cells are harvested.

Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating, progressive disease that typically only gets worse once a patient is diagnosed. But much to the surprise of many doctors, patient Debbie Bertrand's symptoms have improved instead of regressing.

"The last time I walked into this building, I had to use the wheelchair," Bertrand said. "I couldn't even walk, so this is a big day for me."

Bertrand uses a walker to visit Celltex -- a Houston company that has been preserving her stem cells since 2011. She was one of the first patients to receive breakthrough treatments using stem cells taken from fat cells, which are then reinjected into her body.

"I had pretty high expectations, but I think they've exceeded anything I could've ever hoped for," Bertrand said. "My doctors are still blown away because you're never supposed to get better when you have MS. But my quality of life is just so much better."

Bertrand's experience is not unique. The company said stem cell injections have helped people with joint diseases and Parkinson's.

CEO David Eller said he was healed of knee pain.

"We're happy that it's working and we're happy for people like Debbie Bertrand," Eller said. "A lot of people don't have the time to wait 10 years and find out if it's going to be legal or not."

Link:
Stem cell research benefits Houston woman with multiple sclerosis

HOUSTON -

It's a debate that puts many people's religious beliefs at odds with science.

Medical breakthroughs have allowed doctors to use human stem cells to treat chronic diseases with incredible results. But even patients who benefit have reservations about how stem cells are harvested.

Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating, progressive disease that typically only gets worse once a patient is diagnosed. But much to the surprise of many doctors, patient Debbie Bertrand's symptoms have improved instead of regressing.

"The last time I walked into this building, I had to use the wheelchair," Bertrand said. "I couldn't even walk, so this is a big day for me."

Bertrand uses a walker to visit Celltex -- a Houston company that has been preserving her stem cells since 2011. She was one of the first patients to receive breakthrough treatments using stem cells taken from fat cells, which are then reinjected into her body.

"I had pretty high expectations, but I think they've exceeded anything I could've ever hoped for," Bertrand said. "My doctors are still blown away because you're never supposed to get better when you have MS. But my quality of life is just so much better."

Bertrand's experience is not unique. The company said stem cell injections have helped people with joint diseases and Parkinson's.

CEO David Eller said he was healed of knee pain.

"We're happy that it's working and we're happy for people like Debbie Bertrand," Eller said. "A lot of people don't have the time to wait 10 years and find out if it's going to be legal or not."

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Stem cell research benefits area woman with multiple sclerosis

By John ElderApril 5, 2015, 12:15 a.m.

A new frontier in stem cell therapy or a false dawn? John Elder reports.

Last week, Suzie Palmer, 44, travelled from her home in NSW to the Gold Coast for her second round of stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis. OnTuesday morning,the wheelchair-bound poet underwent liposuction.

By 2.30pm, stem cells had been partially separated from her abdominal fat, suspended in plasma, and injected intravenously. Her doctor, Soraya Felix, is a cosmetic surgeon and molecular biologist with a sideline in regenerative medicine.

Palmer, a relentlessly upbeat and positive person, says the treatments have helped her cope better with heat, improved her mobility and flexibility and otherwise made her "feel like a normal human being". She has, she says, managed a few steps with a walker, still a long way from "running about, which is my dream".

The rapidly growing stem cell industry is aglow with similarly positive testimonials, notably on behalf of practitioners who offer little documented scientific evidence of their success.

Suzie Palmer is literally the poster girl for stem cell tourism within Australia. You can find her smiling sweetly, along with Dr Felix, on the Facebook page of a group called the Adult Stem Cell Foundation. She is one of an unknown number of unwell Australians pinning their hopes on an unregulated industry that is now under review by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The TGA public consultation, which closed earlier this month, was prompted by long-standing concerns raised by Stem Cells Australia that a loophole in the regulations has allowed dozens of doctors across Australia to provide experimental treatments without the ethics committee oversight that registered clinical trials are subject to. These treatments invariably cost $10,000 and up. The loophole is this: while the use of donor stem cells in therapies is tightly regulated, the use of a patient's own stem cells is not.

Professor Martin Pera is the program leader of Stem Cells Australia, which is administered by the University of Melbourne and includes scientists from Monash University, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, the Florey Institute and the CSIRO, among others. They are engaged in a seven-year Australian Research Council project to answer the big questions about stem cells and the potential for reliable therapies.

Pera's laboratory at Monash University was the second in the world to isolate embryonic stem cells, and the first to describe their differentiation into somatic cells in vitro.

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Is a loophole in stem cell law helping new therapy to thrive, or allowing dubious science?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a scary and unpredictable disease.

A patient's own immune system attacks the nervous system; causing numbness, dizziness and in some cases paralysis.

"It was terrifying, said Rachel Taylor. It was like having a wet, heavy blanket put over your life."

Taylor was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago.

"I was an active runner, and over the course of a few months couldn't figure out why I couldn't keep up," said Rachel.

Rachel knew what was wrong; she'd been working with the MS Society bike rides for years.

Rachel's in remission now, but she is still thrilled with Prof. Tom Lane's stem cell discovery.

"We have animals that are paralyzed that cannot right themselves, and once we en-graft the neural stem cells into the spinal cords, within three weeks, the majority of the animals, about 80 to 85 percent, will regain motor skills," said Prof. Tom Lane, PhD, a professor of Pathology at the University of Utah.

Researchers say MS damages the myelin, a layer around nerve cells.

Once injected, the human neural stem cells stimulate the mouse's own cells to repair the damage. When nerve cell function returns, the mice can walk and run again.

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Multiple sclerosis can be scary, but a new treatment holds promise

John Wyse, a shellfish farmer and father of three from Nanaimo, has not been able to work due to deteriorating health from a rare form of multiple sclerosis.

image credit: CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

John Wyse, 40, a Nanaimo father of three, is in a race against the progression of his disease.

Wyse was diagnosed in 2010 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and hopes to receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation treatment at the Hassadah Medical Centre in Israel.

Multiple sclerosis affects the brain and spinal cord by causing inflammation that damages myelin the protective covering of the nerves and disrupts nerve impulses, giving rise to symptoms that include extreme fatigue, weakness, lack of coordination, impaired sensation, vision and bladder problems, cognitive impairment and mood changes.

What causes MS is unknown, but its thought to be an autoimmune disorder causing the bodys immune system to attack healthy tissue.

Patients suffer repeating cycles of advancing deterioration followed by periods of remission in all forms of MS except for the primary progressive variant of the disease, which progresses without remission and is the only form of MS for which there are no conventional drugs or treatments available.

Research into stem cell transplantation therapy is the latest avenue of hope for successful treatment and a possible cure. Clinics in Germany, Russia, India and Israel currently offer stem cell treatment and clinical trials are also being conducted in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere.

Most clinical trials and some treatment clinics will not accept primary progressive MS patients.

Wyse, with his wife and three daughters, are trying to raise $158,200 to pay for his treatment in Israel, scheduled for April 2016, but the Hassadah Medical Centre places limits on how far Wyses condition can deteriorate before it will not accept him. Wyse, who now walks with a cane and hasnt been able to work for a year, figures he has little more than a year before hes no longer a treatment candidate.

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Hoping for a cure

When money gets tight, research shows we may sacrifice our health in order to save $1 Two Canadian research centres are setting up a clinical trial to see if a type of stem cell can help alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis If you are spending time outdoors this winter, you do need to put on the sunscreen http://pmd.680news.com/podcasts/health/jan30-health-news_Health-Report_2015-02-02.mp3

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Jan. 30: Sacrificing health, multiple sclerosis research, sunscreen in winter

Source: Flickr user Dominik Golenia.

For a disease that affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and approximately 2.5 million around the globe, multiple sclerosis is arguably not getting its fair share of attention from drug developers and researchers. According to the National Institutes of Health, which has an annual budget near $40 billion, only $115 million is expected to be spent on MS research in 2015.

What makes MS a particularly scary disease -- beyond just its more serious complications like loss of vision and/or paralysis -- is that there are a number of unknowns even after decades of research. For example, scientists are still uncertain what causes MS, although they have a hunch it has to do with some combination of genetics and environmental factors, since the rate of MS prevalence above the 37th parallel is about to double what it is below the 37th parallel.

In recent years, MS diagnoses have been on the rise, although researchers simply attribute this to earlier diagnosis and better detection of the disease. MS can strike anyone at any age, but it's most often diagnosed when people are between the ages of 20 and 40.

Clearly, MS patients need help now, and not just in curbing their symptoms, but in actually finding ways to stop or reverse their disease. Thankfully, new research out of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine just might offer some game-changing and positive news.

Potentially game-changing news for select MS patients Based on a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. Richard Burt and his team at Northwestern University, utilizing nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation resulted in substantial improvements in select MS patients' quality of life and neurological disability.

Source: Flickr user LWP Kommunikacio.

What's hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT? It's the process whereby researchers harvest a user's own stem cells from their bone marrow or peripheral blood (stem cells can come from a donor as well), and subsequently infuse these potent stem cells back into the body in an effort to get an MS patients' immune system back onto the right track.

For its study, Northwestern University researchers examined 123 patients with relapse-remitting MS and 28 with secondary progressive MS who had been previously treated with HSCT. At a median of 30 months following treatment, researchers observed that 64% of those tested at the 48-month mark had demonstrated significant Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores, as well as 50% of those tested at the 24-month mark. This marked the first true long-term and sustainable improvement in EDSS scores recorded in a clinical study involving MS.

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This Could Be Game-Changing News in the Battle Against Multiple Sclerosis

TORONTO - Two Canadian research centres are gearing up for a clinical trial to determine if a type of stem cell can help alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Researchers at the Ottawa Hospital and Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre will each recruit 20 MS patients for the trial that will test whether mesenchymal stem cells can reduce inflammation and even help repair damage already caused by the disease.

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation in the central nervous system, resulting in injury to myelin, the protective sheath that covers nerves. This damage can create a host of symptoms, leading to varying degrees of physical disability and cognitive impairment.

Mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow, fat, skin tissue and umbilical cord blood, have the ability to modify the immune system and reduce inflammation, said neurologist Dr. Mark Freedman of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, who is leading the clinical trial.

Freedman said researchers want to determine if these stem cells can demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties in patients with MS.

"But that's not why we're doing it," he said of the study, called MESCAMS ("MEsenchymal Stem cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients"). "We have lots of drugs that can control inflammation in multiple sclerosis that's what all the new medicines do."

"The ultimate hope is that we will be able to exploit some of their other very important biological properties, which is to promote repair."

The two research centres are ready to begin enrolling patients for the trial, which has specific acceptance criteria. While most of those accepted will likely have the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, Freedman said some people with more severe primary- or secondary-progressive MS may also be eligible if they fit the criteria.

The study protocol can be accessed at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02239393. It will later be posted on the website of the MS Society of Canada, which along with the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation has provided a $4.2-million grant for the study.

To conduct the trial, half the patients will be randomly assigned to receive their own mesenchymal stem cells within weeks of them being extracted from the bone marrow and grown in the lab; the remainder of the participants will instead be infused with a mock stem-cell solution, and won't receive their actual stem cells for about six months. The two groups will then be compared.

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Joanne Schnurr, CTV Ottawa Published Thursday, January 29, 2015 12:57PM EST Last Updated Thursday, January 29, 2015 12:59PM EST

People with Multiple Sclerosis are holding out great hope tonight over clinical trials that will begin right here in Ottawa. It's part of an international study into special stem cells that have the ability to repair damage. There has been much talk before about stem cells and their therapeutic potential. This research goes beyond that, looking at the possibility that these particular mesenchymal stem cells might be able to fix nerves ravaged by MS.

For people like 60-year-old Margo Murchison, it is a ray of hope in a bleak future living with her disease that has now become chronic.

Id like to live a life like everybody else, says Murchison, be free to do whatever I want and help other people instead of relying on them to help me.

Murchison was 27 years old, a French Immersion teacher, when she was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disabling disease of the central nervous system. She has since lost the use of her legs, her eyesight on two occasions and now one hand. But her mind is crisp and clear and full of hope for these clinical trials being driven right here in Ottawa.

With the potential of stem cells, it's an exciting time to be dealing with a chronic illness. There is great hope for the future.

Dr. Mark Freedman is the man giving her that hope. The Ottawa neurologist, who is the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Unit at the Ottawa Hospital, is leading the first Canadian clinical trial into the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for MS. The trial is called MESCAMS (MEsenchymal Stem Cell therapy for CAnadian MS patients) and will evaluate the safety and potential benefits of MSCs that will be extracted from a patients own bone marrow, expanded in a specialized lab and then infused back into the same patient.

These stems cells have unique properties that help reduce inflammation. Most importantly, they promote repair.

Though this project we are launching is looking primarily at the biological property we know they have which is turning down the inflammation, explains Dr. Freedman, we are also going to be very, very closely monitoring them for repair. If we can pick that up in a way that can be reproduced and measured over time, the next phase is to go after patients with damage and fix it.

Nine countries worldwide are taking part in this research. Dr. Freedman is the lead for the Canadian trial and the co-lead of the international study that will involve 200 patients overall. Dr. A. Uccelli of Genoa, Italy is the other co-lead. Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world.

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Ottawa Hospital leads Canadian clinial trial on stem cell therapy in MS patients

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Jan. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A therapy that uses patients' own primitive blood cells may be able to reverse some of the effects of multiple sclerosis, a preliminary study suggests.

The findings, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, had experts cautiously optimistic.

But they also stressed that the study was small -- with around 150 patients -- and the benefits were limited to people who were in the earlier courses of multiple sclerosis (MS).

"This is certainly a positive development," said Bruce Bebo, the executive vice president of research for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

There are numerous so-called "disease-modifying" drugs available to treat MS -- a disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective sheath (called myelin) around fibers in the brain and spine, according to the society. Depending on where the damage is, symptoms include muscle weakness, numbness, vision problems and difficulty with balance and coordination.

But while those drugs can slow the progression of MS, they can't reverse disability, said Dr. Richard Burt, the lead researcher on the new study and chief of immunotherapy and autoimmune diseases at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

His team tested a new approach: essentially, "rebooting" the immune system with patients' own blood-forming stem cells -- primitive cells that mature into immune-system fighters.

The researchers removed and stored stem cells from MS patients' blood, then used relatively low-dose chemotherapy drugs to -- as Burt described it -- "turn down" the patients' immune-system activity.

From there, the stem cells were infused back into patients' blood.

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Early Study Says Stem Cells May Reverse Multiple Sclerosis Disability

Food safety watchdog in Europe is countering findings that Bisphenol A, a chemical used to make plastic, is harmful to your health Researchers say stem cells could provide new treatment options for reversing the disability caused by multiple sclerosis http://pmd.680news.com/podcasts/health/jan21-health-news_Health-Report_2015-01-22.mp3

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Jan. 21: Bisphenol A research, multiple sclerosis treatment

An Airdrie man feels he has been duped out of thousands of dollars after receiving treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Lee Chuckry, who has been dealing with MS for almost 20 years, says his symptoms have worsened since he received experimental, stem-cell therapy in India in 2013 from Regenetek Research INC, a Winnipeg-based company led by CEO Doug Broeska.

Its gotten much worse, said Chuckry of his condition, an autoimmune disorder that damages the insulating covers of nerve cells, leading to a wide range of symptoms and permanent neurological damage.

Chuckry explained he was diagnosed with MS about 20 years ago and is now dependant on a motorized scooter to get around.

The 47-year-old Airdrie man originally found Broeskas study online.

I was hoping for something that would put the breaks on the disease, said Chuckry.

Now, Chuckry is questioning Broeskas credentials as a medical researcher.

I did do my due diligence before going to India, and I thought everything was on the up and up, said Chuckry.

Chuckry explained since returning from India, where he spent $34,000 to receive the therapy, which consisted of widening the veins in his neck and injecting stem cells, he has experienced three MS attacks.

See the article here:
Airdrian says costly treatment a scam

Published: January 19, 2015

Sharon Nordstrom feels ashamed for participating in a $38,000 multiple sclerosis stem cell treatment inIndia that was not all it was promoted to be. Submitted photo.

JONATHAN CHARLTON THE STARPHOENIX

Sharon Nordstrom feels ashamed for participating in a $38,000 multiple sclerosis stem cell treatment inIndia that was not all it was promoted to be.

Im going to be a real mouthpiece now for people who think theyre toosmartto fall for stuff like this, she said.

The WinnipegFreePress this week published aninvestigationinto Winnipeg-based Regenetek Research, finding that head researcher Doug Broeska fabricated his credentials, including his PhD, and overstated the effects of the stem-cell treatment.

The newspaper also discovered that the chairman of the medical ethics committee at the Inamdar Hospital in Pune,India, told Broeska his lack of credentials and followup violatedinternational ethical standards and ordered him to step down as principal investigator of the stem-cell study.

Broeska told theFreePress he was terminated only because it was decided to have a local principal investigator stationed inIndia.

TheFreePress further reported that the University of Winnipeg has cancelled a joint stem-cell treatment project involving Broeskas company.

Nordstrom says she last heard from Broeska on June 16, when he said in an email he would expel her from the trial after she questioned the absence of a followup care plan. For months, she kept her situation quiet.

Read more:
Saskatoon woman snared in alleged fraudulent MS trial held in India

The numbness entered Kathleen Jaynes' body 19 years ago, and during the intervening years the multiple sclerosis symptom has spread from her toes to her chest. Nothing really changes the numbness, or helps. Which is why, despite her sister's misgivings and her own lingering questions, Jaynes paid $20,000 to receive an experimental stem cell procedure in India through Regenetek, a company led by a now-discredited Winnipeg researcher who fudged his credentials and misled patients.

It's not like there are many other sources of hope out there for patients such as Jaynes, 59, who lives in southeast Arizona.

"You're a no-option patient," Jaynes said. "You have no other options. I justified it in every way that I could, despite my family saying this guy is not for real. Unless you're in my numb body, you can't know how desperate you feel to not feel that way."

In exchange for that money, Jaynes and roughly 70 other patients received what one of Canada's top MS researchers calls an "impossible" promise.

In December, Dr. Mark Freedman looked over Regenetek's study protocols, after a reporter drew his attention to the company's claims. Freedman, who is the director of Ottawa Hospital's MS research unit, has plenty of experience with stem cell treatments for the disease: In 2000, he and bone marrow transplant physician Dr. Harold Atkins launched a study to examine whether transplanting stem cells from a patient's own bone marrow could halt the disease.

The study was closely watched, the results tremendously encouraging. The 24 patients in the study -- all of whom had a rapidly advancing form of MS -- showed improvement. Freedman and Atkins also treated about a dozen more patients outside of the study, who have shown the same positive results. The researchers have submitted the study's results for publication in a scientific journal, and are preparing to announce new research sites later this month.

But the procedure Regenetek owner Doug Broeska was touting wasn't anything like the technique that showed such promise in Freedman and Atkins' study.

For instance, Jaynes and other Regenetek patients the Free Press spoke to described having stem cells extracted, expanded and implanted within days of their arrival in Pune, India.

But the premise that patients could receive benefits from stem cells taken from bone marrow extracted just four days earlier -- and which had to make a 300-kilometre round-trip journey between Pune and a lab in Mumbai at that time -- is "impossible," Freedman said.

Culturing and expanding enough of those kind of stem cells is a process that takes "weeks," Freedman said, adding bluntly: "They're not getting anything."

Read more from the original source:
The 'impossible' dream: City firm's MS claims not medically possible, says top researcher

A multiple sclerosis patient from Saskatchewan who travelled to India to undergo an experimental stem cell treatment is defending the Winnipeg company that recruited her for the therapy and study, which some have called into question.

Regenetek Research has been under scrutiny following media reports this week about its CEO, Doug Broeska.

Broeska had recruited MS patients to take part in the experimental and expensive study, which was administered in India, involving stem cell injections combined with so-called liberation therapy, which involves the widening of veins in the neck.

He was, until recently, also the principal researcher for the study related to the treatment.

However, some patients have questioned Broeska's qualifications as a researcher. As well, some say the therapy did not work for them, and they were not receive proper followup.

Other patients, like Linda Friesen of Tisdale, Sask., reported having success with the therapy.

"I am shocked right now. I am surprised in what has been said," she told CBC News when asked about the latest allegations.

Friesen said she used to rely on a wheelchair because of her MS and injuries from a car accident, but she left that wheelchair behind at the hospital in India after undergoing the experimental treatment which cost her $34,000 US in 2013.

"It's so amazing to have this opportunity to be part of the research," she said in a promotional video produced by Regenetek.

Friesen told CBC News that the company has paid her to help other MS patients in Saskatchewan with their paperwork.

More:
Sask. MS patient recounts good experience with research firm now under question

Enlarge Image

Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska previously ran a lumber business. (REGENETEK.COM)

Enlarge Image

Regenetek is located on Chevrier Boulevard, but its stem-cell study is being conducted at a hospital in India. The study is not listed on any clinical-trial registry. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

The hope of dancing at her sons summertime wedding led Sharon Nordstrom to pay $38,000 for a treatment she hoped would keep her multiple-sclerosis symptoms at bay.

That money paid for what she hoped would be a life-changing stem-cell procedure at a hospital in Pune, India. It was part of what she, and nearly 70 other patients from Manitoba and from as far away as Australia, believed was a clinical study helmed by a brilliant Winnipeg medical researcher with a PhD, who said the procedure could stop MS in its tracks.

Soon after her return in May, Nordstrom began to uncover troubling facts. Doug Broeska, whom patients reverently call "Dr. Doug," has no recognized medical credentials. Regenetek Research, his company based out of a spartan office on Chevrier Boulevard, boasted credentials and positive medical results that didnt add up. Patients who were once ardent supporters were attacked as saboteurs or shills for "Big Pharma" and threatened with removal from the study after they asked questions.

A Free Press investigation has found Broeska fabricated his credentials, including his PhD, and overstated the effects of the stem-cell treatment, for which he often charged desperately ill people $45,000. Four patients spoke to the Free Press on the record, saying they got no benefit from the treatment, got none of the followup common in clinical trials such as MRIs or physical acuity tests and believe they are victims of fraud.

Patients, doctors in India and now Canadian officials are questioning the claims of Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska and his $45,000 stem-cell therapy for MS sufferers.

At least two of Regeneteks former patients have complained to the RCMP, and sources say the Canada Revenue Agency is investigating, though CRA officials would not confirm that. Last week, Regeneteks website, Broeskas LinkedIn page and a "patient-run" Facebook group were taken down.

See the original post here:
City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated results

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Mary Agnes Welch and Melissa Martin

Posted: 3:00 AM | Comments:

The University of Winnipeg has axed a joint project with Regenetek Research, the local company selling stem-cell treatment to people with multiple sclerosis.

The move by the university's ethics committee came Wednesday, hours after the Free Press published its investigation into Regenetek owner Doug Broeska's credentials and his clinical trial.

The university's move puts an end to Broeska's repeated claim he was about to launch a study with U of W's kinesiology faculty to track and test some of the 70 patients who paid Regenetek as much as $45,000 for experimental stem-cell transplants in India.

"The patient outcomes have been so significant that we will soon be announcing a companion study with the University of Winnipeg," Broeska told a prospective patient in an email obtained by the Free Press. "Dr. Glen Bergeron, assistant dean and one of Canada's foremost physiotherapeutic specialists (head physiotherapist, Canadian Olympic Team) has confirmed our evidence based on patient observation... and would not have contemplated such a study if our patient/subjects had not demonstrated neural pathway restoration as a result of their therapies."

Winnipeg-based Regenetek and the U of W signed a preliminary letter of intent last spring. The company even gave the U of W $10,000 to hire a young researcher. She moved to Winnipeg from Waterloo, Ont., and began work in November in anticipation the joint research project would soon win ethics approval from the university's review panel.

Last week, the U of W's ethics committee sent the proposal back to Bergeron with questions and concerns. On Wednesday morning, the committee rejected the joint application outright.

Bergeron did not reply to requests for comment. Instead, Jino Distasio, the U of W's associate vice-president of research and innovation, said the university takes the health of study participants extremely seriously and already harboured concerns about the project.

View original post here:
Fallout from fake credentials

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Melissa Martin and Mary Agnes Welch

Posted: 2:00 AM | Comments:

The University of Winnipeg has axed a joint project with Regenetek Research, the local company selling stem-cell treatment to people with multiple sclerosis.

The move by the universitys ethics committee came Wednesday, hours after the Free Press published its investigation into Regenetek owner Doug Broeskas credentials and his clinical trial.

The universitys move puts an end to Broeskas repeated claim he was about to launch a study with U of Ws kinesiology faculty to track and test some of the 70 patients who paid Regenetek as much as $45,000 for experimental stem-cell transplants in India.

"The patient outcomes have been so significant that we will soon be announcing a companion study with the University of Winnipeg," Broeska told a prospective patient in an email obtained by the Free Press. "Dr. Glen Bergeron, assistant dean and one of Canadas foremost physiotherapeutic specialists (head physiotherapist, Canadian Olympic Team) has confirmed our evidence based on patient observation... and would not have contemplated such a study if our patient/subjects had not demonstrated neural pathway restoration as a result of their therapies."

Winnipeg-based Regenetek and the U of W signed a preliminary letter of intent last spring. The company even gave the U of W $10,000 to hire a young researcher. She moved to Winnipeg from Waterloo, Ont., and began work in November in anticipation the joint research project would soon win ethics approval from the universitys review panel.

Last week, the U of Ws ethics committee sent the proposal back to Bergeron with questions and concerns. On Wednesday morning, the committee rejected the joint application outright.

Bergeron did not reply to requests for comment. Instead, Jino Distasio, the U of Ws associate vice-president of research and innovation, said the university takes the health of study participants extremely seriously and already harboured concerns about the project.

Read more from the original source:
U of W cancels proposal for joint research study

Enlarge Image

Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska previously ran a lumber business. (REGENETEK.COM)

Enlarge Image

Regenetek is located on Chevrier Boulevard, but its stem-cell study is being conducted at a hospital in India. The study is not listed on any clinical-trial registry. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

The hope of dancing at her sons summertime wedding led Sharon Nordstrom to pay $38,000 for a treatment she hoped would keep her multiple-sclerosis symptoms at bay.

That money paid for what she hoped would be a life-changing stem-cell procedure at a hospital in Pune, India. It was part of what she, and nearly 70 other patients from Manitoba and from as far away as Australia, believed was a clinical study helmed by a brilliant Winnipeg medical researcher with a PhD, who said the procedure could stop MS in its tracks.

Soon after her return in May, Nordstrom began to uncover troubling facts. Doug Broeska, whom patients reverently call "Dr. Doug," has no recognized medical credentials. Regenetek Research, his company based out of a spartan office on Chevrier Boulevard, boasted credentials and positive medical results that didnt add up. Patients who were once ardent supporters were attacked as saboteurs or shills for "Big Pharma" and threatened with removal from the study after they asked questions.

A Free Press investigation has found Broeska fabricated his credentials, including his PhD, and overstated the effects of the stem-cell treatment, for which he often charged desperately ill people $45,000. Four patients spoke to the Free Press on the record, saying they got no benefit from the treatment, got none of the followup common in clinical trials such as MRIs or physical acuity tests and believe they are victims of fraud.

Patients, doctors in India and now Canadian officials are questioning the claims of Winnipeg researcher Doug Broeska and his $45,000 stem-cell therapy for MS sufferers.

At least two of Regeneteks former patients have complained to the RCMP, and sources say the Canada Revenue Agency is investigating, though CRA officials would not confirm that. Last week, Regeneteks website, Broeskas LinkedIn page and a "patient-run" Facebook group were taken down.

See original here:
City man who ran stem-cell trial for MS patients fabricated credentials, overstated treatment results

NIH-funded study yields encouraging early results

Three-year outcomes from an ongoing clinical trial suggest that high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by transplantation of a person's own blood-forming stem cells may induce sustained remission in some people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). RRMS is the most common form of MS, a progressive autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. The trial is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted by the NIAID-funded Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) .

Three years after the treatment, called high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant or HDIT/HCT, nearly 80 percent of trial participants had survived without experiencing an increase in disability, a relapse of MS symptoms or new brain lesions. Investigators observed few serious early complications or unexpected side effects, although many participants experienced expected side effects of high-dose immunosuppression, including infections and gastrointestinal problems. The three-year findings are published in the Dec. 29, 2014, online issue of JAMA Neurology.

These promising results support the need for future studies to further evaluate the benefits and risks of HDIT/HCT and directly compare this treatment strategy to current MS therapies, said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. If the findings from this study are confirmed, HDIT/HCT may become a potential therapeutic option for people with this often-debilitating disease, particularly those who have not been helped by standard treatments.

Scientists estimate that MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. Symptoms can vary widely and may include disturbances in speech, vision and movement. Most people with MS are diagnosed with RRMS, which is characterized by periods of relapse or flare up of symptoms followed by periods of recovery or remission. Over years, the disease can worsen and shift to a more progressive form.

In the study, researchers tested the effectiveness of HDIT/HCT in 25 volunteers with RRMS who had relapsed and experienced worsened neurological disability while taking standard medications. Doctors collected blood-forming stem cells from participants and then gave them high-dose chemotherapy to destroy their immune systems. The doctors returned the stem cells to the participants to rebuild and reset their immune systems.

Notably, participants did not receive any MS drugs after transplant, yet most remained in remission after three years, said Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., director of NIAIDs Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation. In contrast, other studies have shown that the best alternative MS treatments induce much shorter remissions and require long-term use of immunosuppressive drugs that can cause serious side effects.

The study researchers plan to follow participants for a total of five years, recording all side effects associated with the treatment. Final results from this and similar studies promise to help inform the design of larger trials to further evaluate HDIT/HCT in people with MS.

The work was sponsored by NIAID, NIH, and conducted by the ITN (contract number N01 AI015416) and NIAID-funded statistical and clinical coordinating centers (contract numbers HHSN272200800029C and HHSN272200900057C). The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier for the study High-Dose Immunosuppression and Autologous Transplantation for Multiple Sclerosis (HALT-MS) is NCT00288626.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.

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