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Cambridge stem cell scientists searching for new cystic fibrosis treatments have grown "mini-lungs" in a laboratory.

The millimetre-wide cell clusters were created using stem cells derived from the skin of patients with the devastating lung disease.

They are the latest in a line of 3D "organoids" produced to mimic the behaviour of specific body tissues, following "mini-brains" for studying Alzheimer's disease and "mini-livers" to model diseases of the liver.

Dr Nick Hannan, led the team from Cambridge University.

He said: "In a sense, what we've created are 'mini-lungs'.

"While they only represent the distal (outer) part of lung tissue, they are grown from human cells and so can be more reliable than using traditional animal models, such as mice.

"We can use them to learn more about key aspects of serious diseases - in our case, cystic fibrosis."

Cystic fibrosis occurs when the movement of water to the inside of the lungs is reduced, causing a build up of thick mucus that leads to a high risk of infection.

The scientists reprogrammed ordinary skin cells to create stem cells that could be transformed into lung tissue.

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Stem cell "mini-lungs" created in Cambridge University lab

MIAMI (PRWEB) March 17, 2015

GlobalStemCellsGroup.com has announced plans to participate in the 25th annual Argentine Congress of Aesthetic Medicine April 9 and 10 2015. More than 1,000 physicians from around the world will descend on Buenos Aires for the conference to learn and share new findings in aesthetic medicine.

Following the congress, Global Stem Cells Group and Estanislao Janowski, M.D., a plastic surgeon specializing in stem cell application in aesthetic and cosmetic medicine will conduct an intensive, hands-on course on stem cell harvesting, isolation and re-integration, to be held April 11. Janowski, a GSCG faculty member and long-time collaborator is the owner and president of Bioplastica, an aesthetic surgical center featuring the latest stem cell applications in cosmetic and anti-aging medicine.

This will be the third year Global Stem Cells Group participates in the conference, hosted by the Argentina Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SOARME). A soon-to-be-named GSCG faculty member will also deliver a keynote speech to congress attendees.

The international event, which will be held at the Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires, will feature acclaimed stem cell aesthetic practitioners from Argentina and the U.S. SOAME is a member of the Argentine Medical Association (A.M.A.) and of the International Union of Aesthetic Medicine (U.I.M.E.). SOAME has the scientific support of the John F. Kennedy University in Buenos Aires and a host of national and international scientific organizations.

For more information visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)regenestem(dot)com, or call 305-224-1858.

About the Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions.

With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Groups corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCGs six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

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Global Stem Cells Group to Participate in the 25th Argentine Congress of Aesthetic Medicine in Buenos Aires April 9-10 ...

Dr. Nathan Newman - Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Nathan Newman is a Board Certified Dermatologist, a Cosmetic Surgeon, and a pioneer in stem cell therapy and Regenerative Medicine. He is world-renowned for his ground-breaking Stem Cell...

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Dr. Nathan Newman - Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine - Video

The New Botox: Stem Cell Therapy Cream Reviews
http://buildingabrandonline.com/buildabrandwithjamalspikes/what-is-jeunesse/ The New Botox: Stem Cell Therapy Cream Reviews Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a...

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The New Botox: Stem Cell Therapy Cream Reviews - Video

Importance Most patients with relapsing-remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive approved disease-modifying therapies experience breakthrough disease and accumulate neurologic disability. High-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) with autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) may, in contrast, induce sustained remissions in early MS.

Objective To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and durability of MS disease stabilization through 3 years after HDIT/HCT.

Design, Setting, and Participants Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (HALT-MS) is an ongoing, multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 clinical trial of HDIT/HCT for patients with RRMS who experienced relapses with loss of neurologic function while receiving disease-modifying therapies during the 18 months before enrolling. Participants are evaluated through 5 years after HCT. This report is a prespecified, 3-year interim analysis of the trial. Thirty-six patients with RRMS from referral centers were screened; 25 were enrolled.

Interventions Autologous peripheral blood stem cell grafts were CD34+ selected; the participants then received high-dose treatment with carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan as well as rabbit antithymocyte globulin before autologous HCT.

Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point of HALT-MS is event-free survival defined as survival without death or disease activity from any one of the following outcomes: (1) confirmed loss of neurologic function, (2) clinical relapse, or (3) new lesions observed on magnetic resonance imaging. Toxic effects are reported using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.

Results Grafts were collected from 25 patients, and 24 of these individuals received HDIT/HCT. The median follow-up period was 186 weeks (interquartile range, 176-250) weeks). Overall event-free survival was 78.4% (90% CI, 60.1%-89.0%) at 3 years. Progression-free survival and clinical relapse-free survival were 90.9% (90% CI, 73.7%-97.1%) and 86.3% (90% CI, 68.1%-94.5%), respectively, at 3 years. Adverse events were consistent with expected toxic effects associated with HDIT/HCT, and no acute treatment-related neurologic adverse events were observed. Improvements were noted in neurologic disability, quality-of-life, and functional scores.

Conclusions and Relevance At 3 years, HDIT/HCT without maintenance therapy was effective for inducing sustained remission of active RRMS and was associated with improvements in neurologic function. Treatment was associated with few serious early complications or unexpected adverse events.

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High-Dose Immunosuppressive Therapy and Autologous ...

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Newswise LA JOLLA--For infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), something as simple as a common cold or ear infection can be fatal. Born with an incomplete immune system, kids who have SCIDalso known as bubble boy or bubble baby diseasecant fight off even the mildest of germs. They often have to live in sterile, isolated environments to avoid infections and, even then, most patients dont live past a year or two. This happens because stem cells in SCID patients bone marrow have a genetic mutation that prevents them from developing critical immune cells, called T and Natural Killer (NK) cells.

Now, Salk researchers have found a way to, for the first time, convert cells from x-linked SCID patients to a stem cell-like state, fix the genetic mutation and prompt the corrected cells to successfully generate NK cells in the laboratory.

The success of the new technique suggests the possibility of implanting these tweaked cells back into a patient so they can generate an immune system. Though the new work, published March 12, 2015 in Cell Stem Cell, is preliminary, it could offer a potentially less invasive and more effective approach than current options.

This work demonstrates a new method that could lead to a more effective and less invasive treatment for this devastating disease, says senior author Inder Verma, Salk professor and American Cancer Society Professor of Molecular Biology. It also has the potential to lay the foundation to cure other deadly and rare blood disorders.

Previous attempts to treat SCID involved bone marrow transplants or gene therapy, with mixed results. In what began as promising clinical trials in the 1990s, researchers hijacked virus machinery to go in and deliver the needed genes to newly growing cells in the patients bone marrow. While this gene therapy did cure the disease at first, the artificial addition of genes ended up causing leukemia in a few of the patients. Since then, other gene therapy methods have been developed, but these are generally suited for less mild forms of the disease and require bone marrow transplants, a difficult procedure to perform on critically sick infants.

To achieve the new method, the Salk team secured a sample of bone marrow from a deceased patient in Australia. Using that small sample, the team developed the new method in three steps. First, they reverted the patient cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)cells that, like embryonic stem cells, have the ability to turn into any type of tissue and hold vast promise for regenerative medicine.

Once we had patient-derived stem cells, we could remove the genetic mutation, essentially fixing the cells, explains one of the first authors and Salk postdoctoral researcher Amy Firth.

The second innovation was to use new gene editing technology to correct the SCID-related genetic deficiency in these iPSCs. To remove the mutation, the researchers used a technology called TALEN (similar to the better known CRISPR method). This set of enzymes act as molecular scissors on genes, letting researchers snip away at a gene and replace the base pairs that make up DNA with other base pairs.

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Immune System-in-a-Dish Offers Hope for "Bubble Boy Disease"

Cardiac Stem Cells: Making a Difference in Duchenne
Dr Eduardo Marban, Director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, discusses a possible Cardiac Stem Cell breakthrough for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Coalition Duchenne founder, Catherine ...

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Cardiac Stem Cells: Making a Difference in Duchenne - Video

No Mortality or Toxicity Noted With CryoStor Deployed as Vehicle Solution for Cells and Placebo in Direct Intramyocardial Injections

BioLife Solutions, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of proprietary clinical grade hypothermic storage and cryopreservation freeze media and precision thermal shipping products for cells and tissues (BioLife or the Company), recently announced its CryoStor cell freeze media was utilized in a porcine animal study of umbilical cord blood-derived mononuclear cells (UBC-MNC) to evaluate the safety and feasibility of these cells for cardiac regeneration in pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD).

The safety and feasibility study was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with the results recently published in an article titled Safety and Feasibility for Pediatric Cardiac Regeneration Using Epicardial Delivery of Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mononuclear Cells Established in a Porcine Model System, which appeared in the peer reviewed clinical journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Umbilical cord blood-derived mononuclear cells were frozen in protein-free, serum-free CryoStor CS10, containing 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Thawed cells were administered to piglets via intramyocardial injections, with follow up extended to three months. CryoStor CS10 was also used as the placebo control solution without cells, which was injected into randomized piglets.

The authors observed no mortality or toxicity in any study animals and concluded:

Mike Rice, BioLife President & CEO, stated, The data from this study further support the use of our proprietary biopreservation media products in clinical applications. We are quite pleased to have an institution as renowned as the Mayo Clinic evaluate and use our products in their important clinical research.

BioLife management estimates that the Companys CryoStor cryopreservation freeze media andHypoThermosol storage and shipping media have been incorporated into the manufacturing and clinical delivery protocols of more than 175 cell and tissue-based regenerative medicine clinical trials for new products and therapies.

About BioLife Solutions BioLife Solutions develops, manufactures and markets hypothermic storage and cryopreservation solutions and precision thermal shipping products for cells, tissues, and organs. BioLife also performs contract aseptic media formulation, fill, and finish services. The Companys proprietary HypoThermosol and CryoStor platform of solutions are highly valued in the biobanking, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine markets. BioLifes biopreservation media products are serum-free and protein-free, fully defined, and are formulated to reduce preservation-induced cell damage and death. BioLifes enabling technology provides commercial companies and clinical researchers significant improvement in shelf life and post-preservation viability and function of cells, tissues, and organs. For more information, visit http://www.biolifesolutions.com.

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BioLife Solutions CryoStor Cell Freeze Media Used In Mayo Clinic Safety And Feasibility Study Of Umbilical Cord Blood ...

Severe hypophosphatasia generally fatal during infancy, bone marrow transplant along with mensenchymal stem cell transplants offers hope

Putnam Valley, NY. (Feb 9, 2015) - Recent research carried out by a team of researchers in Japan has investigated the use of bone marrow transplants (BMTs) to treat hypophosphatasia (HPP). In this study, the researchers carried out BMT for two infants with HPP in combination with allogenic (other-donated) mesenchymal stem cell transplants (MSCTs). The allogenic MSC donors were a parent of the infant.

The study will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation and is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-CT-1337_Taketani_et_al

"Hypophosphatasia" (HPP) is a rare and most often fatal genetic bone disease affecting infants that has no current treatment. The disease is caused by mutations in the ALPL gene, which encodes alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Patients with severe HPP develop bone impairment and have extremely low levels of ALP activity, an enzyme necessary for bone mineralization.

Although there are mild and more severe forms, severe hypophosphatasia prevents proper bone mineralization during perinatal development. When the disease develops perinatally, many infants are still-born, with little evidence of bone mineralization. HPP can also appear in later infancy, generally before an infant reaches the age of six months, with the result that most afflicted infants do not live past the age of six months. Milder forms of HPP can present in later youth or in adulthood.

"Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) reside in bone marrow and other tissues and have a self-renewal capacity so that after transplantation they can differentiate into various cell lineages, including bone and cartilage," said Dr. Takeshi Taketani of the Division of Blood Transfusion at Shimane University Hospital in Shimane, Japan. "We performed multiple infusions of MSCs for two infant patients with severe HPP who had already undergone BMT. The adverse events from the BMT were managed and there were no adverse events from the MSC infusions."

After each infant had undergone BMT, one infant received four MSCTs and a second infant received nine MSCTs. Previous research had revealed that MSCT without a prior BMT was ineffective.

The researchers reported that the two infants receiving both BMT and MSCTs improved not only in terms of bone mineralization, but also saw improvements in muscle mass, respiratory function and mental development. Both children continue to survive at age three.

"Our data suggest that allogenic MSCT combined with BMT might be one of the safer and more effective remedies for patients with severe HPP, although long-term effectiveness remains unknown and warrants further study," concluded the researchers. "We need to establish curative, MSC-based treatment strategies that can maintain the long-term survival and differentiation capabilities of transplanted allo-MSCs."

"This study highlights the promise of stem cells in presenting a new frontier for regenerative medicine, with an improvement of HPP-associated symptoms and survival following BMT and MSCT." said Dr. David Eve, Cell Transplantation associate editor, and Instructor of neurosurgery and brain repair at the University of South Florida School of Medicine. "In order to elucidate the mechanisms behind recovery and further extrapolate the study to all HPP patients, a larger cohort and more long term follow-up are needed."

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Infants with rare bone disease improve bone formation after cell transplantation

Despite the progress made by women in science, engineering, and medicine, a glance at most university directories or pharmaceutical executive committees tells the more complex story. Women in science can succeed, but they are succeeding in fields that may not even be conscious of the gender imbalances. These imbalances manifest themselves in the number of women that are invited to speak at conferences, the percentage of grants awarded to women scientists, and the higher rates of attrition of women at every stage of the career ladder compared to those of men.

In the March 5 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, the Initiative on Women in Science and Engineering Working Group, a collection of more than 30 academic and business leaders organized by the New York Stem Cell Foundation, present seven strategies to advance women in science, engineering, and medicine in this modern landscape.

"We wanted to think about broad ways to elevate the entire field, because when we looked at diversity programs across our organizations we thought that the results were okay, but they really could be better," said Susan L. Solomon, co-founder and CEO of the New York Stem Cell Foundation and a member of the working group. "We've identified some very straightforward things to do that are inexpensive and could be implemented pretty much immediately."

The working group's seven strategies are broken into three categories: the first two are direct financial support strategies, the next three are psychological and cultural strategies, and the final two are major collaborative and international initiatives.

1. Implement flexible family care spending

Make grants gender neutral by permitting grantees to use a certain percentage of grant award funds to pay for childcare, eldercare, or family-related expenses. This provides more freedom for grantees to focus on professional development and participate in the scientific community.

2. Provide "extra hands" awards

Dedicate funds for newly independent young investigators who are also primary caregivers to hire technicians, administrative assistants, or postdoctoral fellows.

3. Recruit gender-balanced review and speaker selection committees

Adopt policies that ensure that peer review committees are conscious of gender and are made up of a sufficient number of women.

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Seven strategies to advance women in science

Hello Doctor - Information about Stem Cell Therapy - [Ep 76]
Hello Doctor - Information about Stem Cell Therapy - [Ep 76] Today in Hello Doctor Cosmotologist Specialist Dr Ratnavel will share information about stem cell therapy. Subscribe to Vendhar...

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Hello Doctor - Information about Stem Cell Therapy - [Ep 76] - Video

Freeport, Grand Bahama (PRWEB) March 09, 2015

Okyanos, the leader in cell therapy, launched its next in a series of studies today to determine the emotional impact and lifestyle influence orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis and sports-related injuries have had on those affected. The survey focuses on people between the ages of 55 and 75 living with orthopedic health issues and is designed to examine the toll on those afflicted as well as their relationships.

According to Okyanos VP Marketing Carol Montgomery, Millions of people suffer disorders of the joints, bones, muscles and connective ligaments, tendons and cartilage debilitating conditions on a daily basis, ranging from reduced function to crippling pain but have exhausted available methods of treatment. These restrictions affect them in a variety of ways and our ongoing lifestyle surveys measure the effects such chronic conditions have on todays aging population. Many are turning to solutions like adult stem cell therapy for treatment with excellent results.

The Okyanos Lifestyle and Relationship Survey for Heart Disease, of nearly 700 adults, uncovered a staggering 93% were open to alternatives to their existing heart disease treatment plan showing a growing discontent with their current options. A majority 68% were emotionally impacted and felt they were saddled with restrictions imposed by their heart conditions such as chronic fatigue and shortness of breath.

Adult stem cell therapy has emerged as a new treatment alternative for those who are restricted in activities they can no longer do but are determined to live a more normal life. Okyanos cell therapy uses a unique blend of adult stem and regenerative cells derived from a patients own fat tissue, thereby utilizing the bodys own natural biology to heal itself.

Just 50 miles from US shore, Okyanos cell therapy is available to patients suffering with the daily discomfort of orthopedic conditions including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sports-related injuries and spine disease.

Patients with a severe orthopedic condition, interested in participating in the study can go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ortho_Okyanos

For a copy of the Okyanos Heart Disease Lifestyle Report that reveals the emotional toll and lifestyle impact heart disease has on patients in the United States, visit: Heart Disease Lifestyle Report

Patients can contact Okyanos to learn more and request a free consultation at http://www.Okyanos.com or by calling 1-855-659-2667.

About Okyanos: (Oh key AH nos) Based in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Okyanos brings a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease, tissue ischemia, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic neurological and orthopedic conditions. Okyanos Cell Therapy utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from patients own adipose (fat) tissue which helps improve blood flow, moderate destructive immune response and prevent further cell death. Okyanos is fully licensed under the Bahamas Stem Cell Therapy and Research Act and adheres to U.S. surgical center standards. The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of the river Okyanos, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.

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Okyanos Stem Cell Therapy Launches Orthopedic Lifestyle Survey

Alternative Treatments For COPD - FAT STEM CELL THERAPY in Dallas, Texas
http://www.InnovationsStemCellCenter.com.

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Alternative Treatments For COPD - FAT STEM CELL THERAPY in Dallas, Texas - Video

Healing Tendon Tears, Ligamentous Tears and Sprains with Stem Cell Therapy
For more information: http://www.rmiclinic.com or 877-899-7836 (toll-free) Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon discusses treating tendon tears, ligament tears and sprains with Stemnexa, a proprietary...

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Healing Tendon Tears, Ligamentous Tears and Sprains with Stem Cell Therapy - Video

A Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Retinitis Pigmentosa
Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disease that gradually destroys the light sensing nerve cells, called photoreceptors, loc...

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A Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Retinitis Pigmentosa - Video

Shoulder Labral Tear Repair Using Stem Cell Therapy - Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Wade McKenna
Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Wade McKenna explains how Stemnexa stem cell therapy and amniotic tissue product can enhance the healing process for ...

By: Riordan-McKenna Institute

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Shoulder Labral Tear Repair Using Stem Cell Therapy - Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Wade McKenna - Video

Florida panther receives Stem Cell Therapy
Florida Panther Gets Stem Cell Therapy at Newman Veterinary Centers in Florida.

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Florida panther receives Stem Cell Therapy - Video

GETTY

Treatment for the crippling condition is currently limited to basic pain relief or complex joint replacement surgery.

But trials using stem cells have shown astonishing results with tissue almost as good as new after just three months.

Professor Sue Kimber, who led the research, said: This work represents an important step forward in treating cartilage damage using embryonic stem cells to form new tissue.

It may offer a new line of therapy for people with crippling joint pain and we now need this process to be developed for patients.

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage at the ends of bones wears away causing severe pain and stiffness.

Researchers say the latest experiments show the procedure could potentially be a safe and effective treatment for more than eight million people who suffer from jointdamage and inflammation.

In the experiments, led by teams at Manchester University and Arthritis Research UK, discarded embryonic stem cells from IVF clinics were transformed into cartilage cells.

These were transplanted into rats with defective joints.

Tests showed the high-quality artificially grown tissue quickly aided the repair of the joint.

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Arthritis cure is on the way: Scientists make new breakthrough using embryonic stem cells

Glen Wysoki at The STEM CELL ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE of Texas
Video Testimonial from Glen Wysoki, treated at The STEM CELL THERAPY INSTITUTE of Texas http://stemcellorthopedicinstituteoftexas.com.

By: David Hirsch

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Glen Wysoki at The STEM CELL ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE of Texas - Video

A new stem cell treatment that reboots the entire immune system is enabling multiple sclerosis sufferers to walk, run and even dance again, in results branded "miraculous" by doctors.

Patients who have been wheelchair-bound for 10 years have regained the use of their legs in the ground-breaking therapy, while others who were blind can now see again. The treatment is the first to reverse the symptoms of MS, which is incurable, and affects about 100,000 people in Britain.

The two dozen patients who are taking part in the trials at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, and Kings College Hospital, London, have effectively had their immune systems "rebooted". Although it is unclear what causes MS, some doctors believe that it is the immune system itself that attacks the brain and spinal cord, leading to inflammation pain, disability and, in severe cases, death.

In the new treatment, specialists use a high dose of chemotherapy to knock out the immune system before rebuilding it with stem cells taken from the patient's own blood. "Since we started treating patients three years ago, some of the results we have seen have been miraculous," Prof Basil Sharrack, a consultant neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told The Sunday Times.

"This is not a word I would use lightly, but we have seen profound neurological improvements." Holly Drewry, 25, of Sheffield, was wheelchair bound after the birth of her daughter Isla, now two. But she claims the new treatment has transformed her life.

"It worked wonders," she said. "I remember being in the hospital... after three weeks, I called my mum and said: 'I can stand'. We were all crying. I can run a little bit, I can dance. I love dancing, it is silly but I do. " However, specialists warn that patients need to be fit to benefit from the new treatment. "This is not a treatment that is suitable for everybody because it is very aggressive and patients need to be quite fit to withstand the effects of the chemotherapy," warned Prof Sharrack.

The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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'Miraculous' stem cell treatment may reverse symptoms of multiple sclerosis