MS Patients Continue to Gain Function and Show Improvement

With the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s Annual Meeting as his backdrop, Dr. Saud A. Sadiq delivered more promising results from Tisch MS Research Center of New York’s (Tisch MSRCNY) FDA-approved Phase I stem cell trial. The global event, which serves as the voice of the stem cell community, attracted over 3,500 participants who foster and exchange important dialogue on groundbreaking research in this field.

The Tisch MSRCNY research report presented interim analysis of the first ten patients treated, all of whom had zero adverse effects or safety concerns. The report went on to state that seven of the ten patients report improved muscle strength in their lower limbs and most remarkably, a patient who was wheelchair-bound for over one year is now able to use a walker. A second patient, who would ambulate with assistance but fell frequently due to weakness and instability, has not fallen in three months due to improved balance and is regaining normal strength in her lower limbs. She is now transitioning from walking with assistance to ambulating unaided. A third patient, who had lower right limb weakness, now has normal strength in his leg. In addition, of the nine patients with bladder dysfunction, five have reported noticeable improvement in this troubling area.

Dr. Saud A. Sadiq, Chief Research Scientist at Tisch MSRCNY and the study’s principal investigator is quite pleased by these positive efficacy trends, which have been advancing since the Center’s initial announcement on April 23rd, (http://tischms.org/news/april-23-2015-tisch-ms-research-center-new-york-reports-early-improvement-stem-cell-trial). He cautions, however, that this is an interim analysis and the study will have to be completed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

This FDA-approved clinical trial uses neural stem cells extracted from the patient’s own bone marrow to repair damage caused by multiple sclerosis. Tisch MSRCNY’s study offers patients something unprecedented and unrecorded in previous treatments for MS, which to date only offer hope in stopping the progress of the disease. For more information on this study and its protocol, visit: www.tischms.org

ABOUT TISCH MS RESEARCH CENTER OF NEW YORK

For over twenty years, Saud A. Sadiq, MD, FAAN has believed that combining excellence in clinical care with innovative research targeted at finding the cure for multiple sclerosis would set an exemplary standard in the treatment of MS patients. Today, Tisch MS Research Center of New York embodies this new model of healthcare, with seamless interaction between the practice and the research. Dr. Sadiq and his team of scientists help those with MS by conducting cutting-edge, patient-based research to ensure unparalleled care. The unity of purpose and ease of communication between the non-profit research center and its affiliated clinical practice, the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice enables efficient testing of new MS treatments and accelerates the pace at which research discoveries move from lab bench to bedside. Tisch MS Research Center of New York aims to identify the disease trigger so that a cure for multiple sclerosis becomes reality.

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