Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in India:

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune condition that primarily affects the central nervous system (CNS). The brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves are the main areas affected by this disease. In this type of disease, the immune system of a person mistakenly attacks the protective covering of the nerve fibers called myelin sheath. This attack destroys myelin, also known as demyelination. As a result the nerve sigal transmissions are disrupted and this causes various neurological symptoms including weakness in the muscles, problems with the vision, numbness in the different parts of the body and disrupted cognitive functions.

Up until now, there is no definitive treatment for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) ailment. Most of the available treatments mainly focus upon management of the symptoms instead of providing solutions for complete elimination of the disease. The key treatment benefits include reduction in the inflammation and slowing down the disease progression. In such scenario, the advancements in medical science and emerging rengerative treatments such as analogous stem cell therapy are considered highly promising alternative. Stem cell treatments are under trial in India and based on the current data available, they have shown the capability of altering the disease. 

How Autologous Stem Cell Therapy Helps with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

Autologous stem cells are taken from the patient’s own body. This reduces the risk of the patient’s body rejecting the stem cells. The extracted cells are programmed and then re-introduced to the patient’s immune system. These cells have the ability to differentiate into regenerative tissues, and cells. This increases the chances of damaged issues being regenerated. As a result, the immune system response is modulated and offers long-term relief to the patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.

Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment in India

India at present is the hub for conducting advanced clinical trials and research for autologous stem cell therapy for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. The country has highly efficient medical facilities, skilled and trained medical professionals and advanced infrastructure, available at minimal cost as compared to western countries. Indian hospitals running clinical trials for the treatmet of MS with the help of autologous therapy are gaining momentum because the results are promising. The country witnesses a vast number of patients from all over the world, visiting for stem cell clinical trials and potential treatment options. 

What are the Key Causes of MS?

Causes of MS are not identified completely as of now. However, medical experts point out that some of the key reasons associated with this disease could be lack of vitamin D, genetic factors, environmental factors, viral infections and combination of all these occurences. This disease is most common in women as compared to men and the age group of 20-40 is the most affected by this ailment. 

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Its Different Forms

Multiple Sclerosis can be defined as an auto-immune disease, which causes the immune system to attack the protecting layer surroundijng the central nervous system’s fibers. This layer is called myelin sheat and its damage leads to creation of plaques in the nerves, disrupting the flow of signals. As a results, patients suffer different kinds of neurological symptoms. There are various types of MS, mentioned below:

• Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) is the commonest of them all, where there are flare-ups faced by the patient. However, these settle down and stablize with time.
• Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) causes continuous worsening of all the symptoms.
• Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) is the state where the RRMS stage gets worsened gradually. 
• Progressive-Relapsing MS (PRMS) is the fourth type, where the disease continues to progress, leaving very less room for replases. 

Key Symptoms Experienced by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patients:

The common symptoms that occur in the patients dealing with MS include the following:

• Constant sense of fatigue and tiredness.
• The muscles are weakened, stiffer, causing difficulty in walking.
• Impaired coordination in the patient’s body parts.
• Sensory symptoms are also experienced, mainly including tingling sensation, numbness in different parts of the body, needling sensations in the face or limbs.
• Blurred or double visible and in some cases, it also includes blindness in one eye.
• Loss of memory, problem in concentration and disturbed decision making, followed by other similar cognitive dysfunctions. 
• Dysfunction in the bladder and bowel movements.
• Issues with speech.
• Problem in swallowing liquids and other food items. 

Implementation of Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of MS

In the MS disease, the immune system by mistake attacks the healthy tissues of the body. This leads to all the painful symptoms mentioned in the paragraph above. If not treated, controlled or addressed in time, the ailment can lead to permanent damage of patient’s nerves and cognitive abilities. The damages could be as severe as the patient losing their vision or ability to take decisions or walk properly. 

Stem cell therapy has emerged as the potential treatment option for the MS patients. For the patients suffering from MS and not responding effectively to the conventional medical care treatments, autologous stem cell therapy could be a solution to introduce the programmed stem cells from the patient’s own body. These cells are then differentiated into different types of cells and healthy tissues to empower the immune system. 

Key Types of Stem Cell Therapries Available for MS:

Mainly, there are two types of stem cell therapries used for treatment of MS. These therapries are called autologous stem cell therapy and allogenic stem cell therapy. Both these therapies aim at the regeneration of cells and repairing the damaged tissues to help modulate the immune system. What differentiate these two therapies is the source of the stem cells. Read on to know more about the detailed information on the same.

• Autologous Stem Cell Therapy is the type of therapy, where the stem cells are taken from the patient’s own body. This means that patient himself/herself is the donor. These cells are taken from key sources of the patient’s body including bone marrow, peripheral blood, and fat (adipose) tissues. The risk of immune-rejection is significantly reduced in this type of therapy. 
• Allogenic Stem Cell Therapy involves taking the stem cells from a donor. These cells are derived from the sources such as bone marrow or the umbilical cord. These types of cells are at a higher risk of the patient’s body rejecting the donor cells. In such cases, the patients need medicines designed to deal with immune rejection. 

Key Mechanisms of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

There are several types of mechanism, followed by the autologous stem cell therapy, which impacts the healing process in a positive sense. Here are the key autologous cell mechanisms for MS treatment:

• The stem cell therapy practices have the ability to repair the damaged myelin and regenerate the system. 
• Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to transform into the oligodendrocytes. These cells are helpful in regenerating the damaged myelin sheath, helping further in modifying the symptoms. 
• Since the key reason behind MS disease is that immune system gets confused and starts attacking healthy cells. The autologous stem cell therapy aims to enhance systematic immune modulation in the patient’s body. It helps in hindering the activity of T-cells as well B-cells. These cells are mainly responsible for immune system attacking the patient’s body. 
• Autologous therapy has the potential to reduce the inflammation caused by the MS disease and controlls the spreading of the disease.
• The therapy has the potential to provide protection to the neurological function.

Autologous Stem Cell Therapy is turning out to be a positive and promising avenue for the treatment of serious autoimmune diseases such as MS. The process of the treatment includes collection of stem cells from the patient’s own body, processing these cells and then transplanting them into the patient’s body. However, the treatment is still under trial stage and hospitals/medical care centers are to follow the guidelines and protocols provided by medical authorities. So far, the treatment appears to be promising and there is room for research and trials to bring in data for long-term assessments. 

FAQs

What makes autologous stem cell therapy effective?

The autologous stem cells are derived from the patient himself/herself. This reduces the chances of any immune rejection. These cells have the potential to transform into healthy tissues, cells and improve the immune response. 

How does autologous stem cell therapy functions for the treatment of MS?

Autologous stem cell therapy helps in regulating and stablizing the immune system.

Who is the right candidate for autologous stem cell therapy for MS?

Patients, which have been dealing with an auto-immune conditon such as MS and experiencing aggressive relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) are the right candidates. Patients not responding to conventional treatment options are also suitable candidates for this type of therapy. 

What is the cost of autologous stem cell therapy for MS in India?

The cost varies due to several factors including complexity of the procedure, hospital where treatment is taking place and several other reasons. However, the wide range of treatment ranges between ₹10 to ₹25 lakhs.