Adult stem cells have reportedly been used to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and scleroderma. According to the Journal of Rheumatology:
During the past 10 yrs, over 700 patients suffering from severe autoimmune disease (AD) have received an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant as treatment of their disorder with durable remission being obtained in around one-third.
The stem cells taken from the bone marrow of the patients are encouraged to multiply outside the body and then they are transfused back into the patient (the procedure looks just like a blood transfusion) after chemotherapy or radiation to kill the patient's remaining bone marrow and immune system, including the cells in the lymph nodes. The cells that are put back in are the patient's own and are not rejected, but they are able to "reset" the immune system so that it does not attack the nerves, muscles, joints and organs any more. There is real hope that the patients are cured, rather than enjoying a limited remission.
