Stem Cells Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis - A New Hope for Progressive Forms

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system and represents a major cause of disability in young adults. Nowadays, the dichotomy between demyelination and neurodegeneration has been challenged, and both processes are believed to occur independently early in the disease process. ‘Relapsing-remitting’ MS is the most common subtype which generally shifts to a ‘secondary progressive’ form; MS progression is usually accompanied by a worsening of the motor, cognitive and emotional symptoms, as well as an increase in the disability level. Primary progressive MS represents a third subtype with severe disability scores, poor prognosis, and usually symptomatic management. In this perspective, an ideal therapy should have immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, regenerative and remyelinating potentials. Here, we discuss the promising abilities of stem cells therapies in patients with MS. The available data are tackled aiming to overcome the previously faced limitations and pave the way for larger scale randomized and controlled studies.