By Rachel Fieldhouse & Nature magazine –Scientific American –
Two people were the first to receive the therapy for a condition that damages the spinal cord and optic nerve
A man and a woman with a rare and devastating autoimmune disease have been in remission for more than 15 years after receiving a stem-cell transplant. The positive results, which were reported in Med, suggest that the experimental treatment warrants a larger clinical trial, say scientists.
The two people had a severe and potentially fatal disease in which immune cells produce antibodies that trigger an attack on the spinal cord and nerve connecting the eye and the brain, leading to a condition called neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Symptoms tend to appear in episodes that last for days or months and include eye pain, vision loss, vomiting and weakness or paralysis affecting the arms and legs. Current treatments can prevent these episodes with ongoing medication, but they did not work in these two individuals.
