Interesting news from Canada about a dangerous but, sometimes highly successful, treatment for people with Multiple Sclerosis or MS (www.theguardian.com/2016/jun/09/stem-cell-therapy-gives-hope-to-ms-patients). MS is a condition, where the body attacks its own nervous system, producing lesions in the myelin sheaths surrounding the nerves resulting in e.g. blindness and profound mobility impairments. The technique involves taking, sorting and culturing stem cells from the patient's own blood. The patient is given given a cocktail of 3 drugs that completely wipes out their immune system (this is the dangerous bit as resistance to potentially fatal infections is negated). The immune system is then 'rebooted' (amazing how the computer now provides analogies for medical treatments) by returning the stem cells that repopulate the marrow et cetera. There are attempts to reduce the severity of the treatment but it looks promising with reports of treated patients recovering vision, being engaged again in sporting activities and driving again.
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