Nerve cells transplanted into patient with MS

Abstract

Myelin-producing Schwann cells isolated from a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient's ankle were transplanted into her brain, in a remarkable first attempt to treat MS by stereotactic surgery, performed at the Yale University School of Medicine. MS is a disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of the fatty myelin sheath that insulates neuronal conductivity in the CNS. The etiology of the disease is unknown, however extensive research in animal models suggests that Schwann cells from the PNS, which are resistant to MS, might replace damaged CNS oligodendrocyte cells that produce myelin. With this procedure, researchers plan to study the survival of the transplanted cells in the brain and to directly monitor the production of myelin in the next few months, by MRI, a widely used diagnostic tool for MS lesions. At this premature stage, transplantation was performed in an area of the brain that is not primarily linked to the deteriorating symptoms of MS. However, if successful, the approach could be used to specifically target affected areas and reverse symptoms in myelin-associated diseases. SS