Immune ablation followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of poor prognosis multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Complete abrogation of the inflammatory response by high-dose cytotoxic therapy at an early stage of MS, when the nervous system has not yet sustained irreparable damage may be successful at preventing the inexorable progression. Immunological and hematological reconstitution follows abrogation through bone marrow transplantation. The issues are complex, and many factors, including baseline disability, the timing of this intervention, the intensity of the immune ablation, and depletion of lymphocytes from the graft, are all likely to influence treatment outcome. This article describes the immune ablation regimen for treatment of patients with poor prognosis MS, as performed in the Canadian MS-BMT study. © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.