Two Ottawa researchers have been awarded a $2.4-million grant for their work in fighting multiple sclerosis, a chronic and often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada recently awarded the money to a team led by Dr. Harry Atkins and Dr. Mark Freedman, who will continue a closely watched clinical trial involving an experimental bone marrow stem cell transplant therapy.

That research has seen MS symptoms slowed in some patients and even some improvements in the ability to see and walk.

'Some patients have experienced substantial improvements...'—Dr. Mark Freedman

"The idea behind this clinical trial is to replace the diseased immune system with a new one derived from the patient’s own bone marrow stem cells," said Atkins, a scientist at the Ottawa Health Research Institute, and a bone marrow transplant specialist at the Ottawa Hospital.

"First, we purify and freeze the patient’s stem cells, then we use strong chemotherapy to destroy their existing immune system," he said. "We then transplant the purified stem cells back into the patient.

"It takes time, but eventually these stem cells will form a completely new immune system — one that does not attack the brain and spinal cord — we hope."

A novel approach

A similar procedure has been used to treat certain types of blood cancer for more than 25 years, but applying the procedure to treat autoimmune diseases such as MS is novel, researchers say.

"We hoped that this therapy would halt or slow the progression of MS, and in the patients examined so far, it seems to have worked," Freedman said. "In addition, some patients have experienced substantial improvements in their ability to see and walk.

"This was unexpected, and it suggests the exciting possibility that the therapy may be contributing to some sort of repair or regeneration. With this funding, we can investigate this further."

The researchers note the therapy is highly experimental, but the knowledge gained could lead to significant improvements in the treatment of MS and other autoimmune diseases.

Between 55,000 and 75,000 Canadians have multiple sclerosis, making it the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 15-40.

Symptoms are unpredictable and vary greatly from person to person, but can include: double or blurred vision, extreme fatigue, loss of balance, stiffness of muscles, speech problems, bladder and bowel problems and even partial or complete paralysis.