Multiple Sclerosis Fact Sheet

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Multiple Sclerosis

Embryonic stem cells can mature into all cells of the nervous system. These could be used to directly treat some diseases or could be useful for studying the origins of disease and designing new therapies. Learn more about this image by clicking on it or see more nervous system images on our Flickr Photostream.

CIRM funds many research projects aimed to better understand how embyonic stem cells mature into different types of neurons. This work could lead to new therapies for a range of nervous system diseases, including multiple sclerosis. In addition, CIRM funds projects specifically focused on understanding and treating MS.

If you want to learn more about CIRM funding decisions or make a comment directly to our board, join us at a public meeting. You can find agendas for upcoming public meetings on our meetings page.

Learn more about stem cell research:
Stem Cell Basics Primer | Stem Cell Videos | What We Fund

Find clinical trials:
CIRM does not track stem cell clinical trials. If you or a family member is interested in participating in a clinical trial, please see the national trial database to find a trial near you: clinicaltrials.gov

The role of stem cell research in multiple sclerosis

In early 2011, news came out from Greek researchers that gave hope that stem cells may be a therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessalonika followed 35 people, all with forms of MS, for an average of 11 years after they received their own bone marrow cells as a transplant following elimination of the immune system by chemotherapy. The transplant was designed to “reboot” the immune system. While not conclusive the results did point to the fact that the stem cells may have the capacity to slow the progression of the disease in those that have an aggressive form of MS.

In a similar study, out of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, 23 people in the relapsing-remitting stage of MS who had not responded for six months to drug therapy were given their own bone marrow cells back after depletion of their immune systems. In 2009, it was reported that, three years later, 17 of the patients had improved by at least one point on a standard disability scale, while none of the patients had deteriorated.

CIRM is taking a more strategic approach to the development of a stem cell therapy for MS. The answer may be to find those stem cells that can actively replace the damaged neurons that are a hallmark of the disease. At UCSF a CIRM-funded project is looking at the production of human stem cell derived oligodendrocytes for the treatment of both MS and stroke  (here is a summary of that award) and another research group at UC Irvine is studying human embryonic stem cells and their role in myelination, creating the protective coat for neurons. At UC Irvine, Dr Tom Lane and his team, have discovered the interactions that help stem cells home in on the scene of damage in mouse models of MS (here is a summary of that award). The researchers have also shown that adult neural stem cells improved motor function in mice with MS. Lane and colleagues found that, when the myelin is destroyed by MS, inflammatory cells activate receptors on neural stem cells. These stem cell receptors in turn recruit factors called chemokines – which are key in getting these cells to the repair site as oligodendrocytes. Lane and his team are working out how to incorporate these chemokines into stem cell based treatments that will assist the repair of the MS-damaged cells.

CIRM Grants Targeting Multiple Sclerosis

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