Hope For MS Sufferers

Scientists have shown that the damage caused to nerve cells in multiple sclerosis could be reversed by activating stem cells in the body. The work on animal models of the disease improves our understanding of the devastating condition and may lead to treatments that regenerate the nervous system.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around 100,000 people in the UK and many millions worldwide. Often affecting young adults between the ages of 20 and 40, symptoms can include fatigue, blurred vision, cognitive problems and muscle spasms.

In people with MS the immune system attacks the myelin sheath around nerve fibres, a protective layer of cells that also speeds the transmission of electrical signals. When the myelin is degraded, the nerve fibres can get damaged, and the signals they carry can be disrupted.…

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