Journal Club Recap: March 1, 2019

March 1, 2019: At Journal Club, our experts sat down to discuss a paper on the effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Burt et al 2019 - Effect of Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation vs Continued Disease-Modifying Therapy on Disease Progression in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Hematopoietic stem cells are collected from the blood or bone marrow and can develop into any type of blood cell. For treatment, these cells are designed to eliminate the autoimmune response and restart a new immune system. This research group conducted a trial comparing treatment with these cells to traditional disease-modifying agents. They found that treatment with HSCT in patients with active RRMS extended the time to disease progression as compared to patients on traditional treatments. Further research is needed to confirm the results of this trial and assess the long-term safety and outcomes.