Ottawa patients sought for testing of stem cell therapy …

Retired teacher Margo Murchison does not qualify for the testing of stem cell treatments for MS but she says the possible breakthrough gives her hope.

At a time when there is growing concern about patients travelling overseas for unproven treatments, Canadian doctors are beginning clinical trials of stem cell therapy they say offers real hope for people with multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Mark S. Freedman, director of the multiple sclerosis research unit at The Ottawa Hospital, will lead the Canadian trials which are funded with a $4.2-million grant from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation.

This is the first major stem cell trial that is going on in MS right now around the world, he said. There is so much noise about stem cells in general and the hype that surrounds them, we are doing this study properly so we can answer the question for once and for all.

Recent publicity around hockey legend Gordie Howes stem cell treatment in Mexico after he had a stroke has focused attention on a growing international stem cell tourism industry offering therapies that have not been approved for use in Canada or the United States.

Freedman said he sees patients who are willing to travel overseas to try risky and expensive treatments out of desperation. He said he worries that foreign clinics are preying on patients desperation by providingtreatment that is not properly tested, is not proven to do any good and could carryserious risks. That is why it is crucialto conductproper clinical trials, said Freedman, who is also a professor at the University of Ottawa.

The potential for stem cell treatment is significant in Canada, which has the highest rates of MS in the world.

The study announced Thursday will involve treating 40 patients 20 in Ottawa and 20 in Winnipeg with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), extracted from the patients own bone marrow and then grown in a specialized lab. The cells are later given to the same patient intravenously.

The cells are less risky to use than other stem cell therapies, and their potential seems to come from their ability to modify the immune system, by reducing inflammation, fas well as helping to prevent and repair tissue damage. Patients do not require chemotherapy to kill their immune system as they do with some other treatments.

The Canadian randomized control trials join others underway around the world. In total, 200 patients in nine countries will be part of the trial that could result in routine clinical treatment for MS patients.