The FDA has approved a new clinical trial of a groundbreaking strategy using stem cells for the treatment of MS (multiple sclerosis).
According to Medical News Today, "The new regenerative strategy will involve using autologous, mesenchymal stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells (MSC-NPs), which will be harvested from the bone marrow of 20 MS patients who meet the criteria for the trial."
Researchers say the objective of the clinical trial is to determine the safety of the treatment while measuring the effectiveness.
Dr. Saud Sadiq, senior research scientist at Tisch MS Research Center of New York, says, "To my knowledge, this is the first FDA-approved stem cell trial in the United States to investigate direct injection of stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients, and represents an exciting advance in MS research and treatment."