Scientists may have discovered a new technique for treating a severe immune disorder using a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Researchers from the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital in Canada worked together to find this breakthrough, which could help thousands of people each year.

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease which causes muscular weakness. It has a variety of symptoms including slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, weakness in eye muscles, blurred vision and an unstable gait.

The research involved seven subjects who had severe myasthenia gravis. They were given an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, where the stem cells used have come from the patient’s own body.

The study includes results from hematopoietic stem cell transplants that occurred between 2001 and 2014 at the Ottawa Hospital in Canada. All patients treated had a severe form of myasthenia gravis that had life-threatening symptoms. They had already received intensive immunosuppressive therapies but the disease’s symptoms were still intense.

The authors of the study said there results were very encouraging: “The ability to control autoimmunity by autologous HSCT [hematopoietic stem cell transplantation] has been demonstrated in other treatment-refractory autoimmune conditions, including neurologic diseases. The role of autologous HSCT for MG warrants further exploration with prospective testing.”

Hematopoietic stem cells can be derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. They are multipotent stem cells, capable of differentiating into a number of other cell types. 

There are many ongoing trials that use MSCs. They may play a role in curing many different conditions including blindness, spinal injuries, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and many more.

Source: Treating Myasthenia Gravis with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

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