Stem Cells in Rapidly Evolving Active Multiple Sclerosis

Current treatments for MS target the immune system and are not curative. There is much interest in MSCs as they have the potential to not only affect the immune system but may also promote repair. This study will use MSCs that are harvested from the bone marrow and grown for up to 52 days before being given back to the person from whom they were harvested. This avoids any chemotherapy so is therefore safer than other types of stem cells. In this crossover study, everyone will receive their own stem cells back but in half of the patients it will be delayed by 24 weeks. The primary outcomes are to check that the procedure is safe and to measure any changes on the MRI at 24 weeks. Other more exploratory measures will try to assess effects on repair in the central nervous system (CNS).