Which stem cell therapy did Selma Blair receive for her MS ?
Selma Blair shared a photo on Instagram yesterday regarding the therapy she received last week for her Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She finished the post with the following hashtag #hsct.
The initials HSCT mean hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as per the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). HSCT is a stem cell therapy procedure that seeks to “reboot” or “reset” a person’s immune system to reverse inflammation that causes and aggravates (MS).
Hematopoietic stem cells are blood cell-producing stem cells. HSCT uses these cells from a patient’s own body via his/her blood or bone marrow. Hence, these hematopoietic stem cells are reinjected into the body after minor manipulation by medical practitioners. At that point the cells restart the immune system.
Furthermore, the immune system can reconstruct itself in three to six months. Besides, Blair mentioned this detail in her post saying: “immunocompromised for [the] next three months at least.” HSCT is a novel procedure. In fact the JAMA Neurology published in January 2019 the first randomized controlled clinical trial of HSCT for treatment of relapsing (MS).
Finally, Richard K. Burt, MD, chief of immunology and autoimmune diseases as Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, discovered that among a group of 110 patients with relapsing MS, much less patients suffered MS progression when given HSCT, compared to those who used another therapy.