The prospect of stem cells as multi-faceted purveyors of immune modulation, repair and regeneration in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that is characterised by an autoimmune attack on components of the myelin sheath and axons leading to neurological disability. Although long-approved current treatments for MS have so far only targeted immune components of the disease in a non-specific manner, the efficacy of these immunomodulatory treatments are limited given that they are only immunosuppressive and/ or immunoregulatory and do not prevent long-term disease progression. As such, there is a clear need for more effective therapies that are capable of targeting other aspects of the disease including neurodegeneration, demyelination and the underlying causes of the autoimmune state. Emerging data suggest that hematopoietic, mesenchymal and neural stem cells have the promise to restore self-tolerance, to provide in situ immunomodulation and neuroprotection as well as to promote regeneration. This review will summarise burgeoning experimental and clinical evidence supporting the application of these stem cell populations for the treatment of MS.