New Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Trial Compares Stem Cell Transplantation to Best Available Drugs | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

New Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Trial Compares Stem Cell Transplantation to Best Available Drugs | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases





Scanning electron micrograph of a human T cell from the immune system of a healthy donor. In multiple sclerosis, certain kinds of T cells are involved in the immune system’s attack on the central nervous system.  Credit: NIAID

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

New Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Trial Compares Stem Cell Transplantation to Best Available Drugs

         A clinical trial has begun testing an experimental stem cell treatment against the best available biologic therapies for severe forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The study will will compare the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the two therapeutic approaches. NIAID is sponsoring the trial, called BEAT-MS. 

         MS is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s own immune cells attack the central nervous system. The experimental treatment involves using a mixture of four chemical agents to remove these immune cells. Some of the person’s own blood-forming stem cells, which were extracted before treatment, are then infused back into the individual. These cells repopulate the immune system, allowing it to reset itself so that the new immune cells no longer attack the central nervous system. This form of treatment is called autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or AHSCT. 

         AHSCT has the potential to halt the progress of relapsing MS, eliminate the need for a person to take lifelong medication, and allow the body to partially regain function. The BEAT-MS trial will clarify whether the benefits of this form of treatment outweigh its serious risks.  

         Read the NIAID press release