| Fund total | |
|---|---|
| £15,000 | |
| £10,000 | |
| £5,000 | |
About the treatment
I have put myself forward for autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation as treatment for my multiple sclerosis. Both my neurologist Professor Constantinescu, at the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham and my haematologist, Professor Russell at the City Hospital, Nottingham consider me a good candidate for this therapy as potential risks are reduced because I am in all other respects fit and healthy.
The rationale for this treatment is that, by wiping out my immune system and reintroducing my own 'naive' blood stem cells, my autoimmune system can regenerate free of the faulty antibodies which trigger the inflammation and cause deterioration in multiple sclerosis.
The transplant procedure involves in-patient stay, during which stem cells are separated from my blood stream, I receive a bout of chemotherapy, and then the stem cells are re-implanted to form the basis for a new, hopefully rejuvenated, immune system. Treatment entails living in a protected, semi-isolated environment for two weeks, followed by a period of up to a year where I receive antibiotics and must avoid taking undue risks so as not to pick up infection. I am keeping a diary and timetable of the treatment as it progresses.
You will see that there is some risk attached to the treatment, both at the time and for some time afterwards. There is a recorded a five per cent mortality rate when treating myeloma and leukaemia, the conditions most commonly treated with this procedure. However, since many of these interventions were carried out on people sicker than me, or for other reasons the risk of secondary infection was higher, in my case the danger is expected to be lower, hopefully considerably so.
Therefore, once I have recovered from the treatment procedure itself, my immune system should be re-configured and so my ongoing deterioration should be halted. There are, however, no guarantees. Nevertheless, if all goes well, a follow-on, different treatment then also becomes possible. Having interrupted the faulty autoimmune cycle this subsequent treatment, which is considerably less hazardous and much cheaper, holds the further prospect of restoring some of the functions lost through my MS.
Please note, the main phase of treatment described above (autologous haematopoietic transplantation) should not be confused with quack remedies or other discredited 'stem cell therapies' for MS which are highly speculative at best and which are based on faulty, weak or non-existent science. Nor does the treatment have any ethical drawbacks since it does not involve taking stem cells from other people, foetuses, etc. That said, my proposed treatment lies at the pioneering edge of possible treatments with regard to MS. Consequently, NHS funding for this treatment lies, at best, many years away. Therefore, this will have to be carried out privately at a cost of £24,000. I am seeking sources of funding to cover £15,000 of this cost.
As well as offering the prospect of improvement of my own condition, undergoing this procedure will serve to advance medical knowledge and so offers the prospect of also benefiting other people with multiple sclerosis.
Further reading
Multiple sclerosis:
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation:
- Article from The Lancet (registration and payment required for full text)
- Additional articles (Google search)
- Immune Regulation and Immunotherapy in Autoimmune Disease, Zhang, Jingwu (Ed.) (book)