STEM cells from a patient's fat tissue could be used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), research suggested yesterday.
Scientists said they had seen dramatic improvements in a small number of patients treated using the cells from their own fatty deposits – known as adipose tissue.
They said the findings meant larger trials of the treatment should take place to se
e if more people could benefit.
MS is a disabling neurological condition that affects 85,000 people in the UK.
In Scotland it is estimated that there are 10,500 people with MS – thought to be among the highest rates in the world.
Several groups of scientists are testing different types of stem cell to see if they could be used to treat the illness.
MS causes the body's own defences to attack nerve cells, causing the loss of their protective sheath – a fatty material called myelin.
But it is believed cells from fatty tissue, called stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells, and other forms of stem cell, may be able to treat the condition by limiting the immune reaction and promoting growth of new myelin.
Thomas Ichim, of stem-cell research company Medistem, Boris Minev, of the University of California San Diego, and colleagues tested the effectiveness of SVF cells in three patients.
SVF cells contain two kinds of stem cell, as well as immune-system cells. The cells taken from the patients' fatty tissue were specially treated in the lab and then put back as infusions into the patient's bloodstream.
Dr Minev said: "All three patients in our study showed dramatic improvement in their condition after the SVF therapy.
"While no conclusions in terms of therapeutic efficacy can be drawn from these reports, this first clinical use of fat stem cells for treatment of MS supports further investigations."
But while the patients reported benefits, scans showed that there had been no visual changes to the damage to the nervous system.
The first patient discussed in the study, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, had suffered painful seizures caused by MS for three years.
But after the stem-cell treatment, he reported the seizures stopped completely and he had also seen improvement in movement of his arms and legs.
The second patient also reported improvements in his balance, co-ordination, energy levels and mood.
The last patient was diagnosed with MS in 1993. After his stem-cell treatment in 2008, his gait, balance and co-ordination improved dramatically.
Dr Minev said: "His condition continued to improve and he is currently reporting a continuing improvement and ability to jog, run and even ride a bicycle."
The researchers now want to see further studies to test the use of the cell in MS and other diseases where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.
A spokesman for the MS Society Scotland said: "The preliminary research presented in this literary review is intriguing, and we would be interested to see if what is shown in these case studies can be repeated in properly controlled clinical trials."
HOW IT WORKSSCIENTISTS in America have developed a simple technique they hope will help MS patients:
• Fatty tissue is removed from the patient using liposuction.
• The tissue is specially filtered and treated in the lab to remove unwanted elements such as blood.
• A week later millions of the filtered stromal vascular fraction cells from the fatty tissue are injected into the patient.
• In animal studies, these cells were found to make their way to damaged areas of the brain and nervous system, and also lungs and liver.
• In humans, it is not yet clear how the cells lead to improvements, but it is possible they may help heal the immune system.
