A GUIDE ON AHSCT

FOR MS

No miracle claims, just scientific facts.

A light at the end of the tunnel.

Is it possible to cure MS?

No miracle claims, just scientific facts.

A light at the end of the tunnel.

Is it possible to cure MS?

News

FAQs

Last Updated April 11, 2025

News

FAQs

“Welcome to CureMS,

I’ve created this non-profit website with the aim of expanding information regarding therapies and procedures that could lead to the curing of MS. Specifically, the site is dedicated to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT), because it is the procedure that may today, in some patients, approach a cure for MS.

While MS is generally considered incurable, clinical data shows that some patients achieve long-term remission without medications post-transplant.

On CureMS, you won’t find miraculous recipes or simple solutions to a complex problem like MS, and it does not intend to fuel unfounded hopes or illusions.

The information on this site has been previously published in scientific journals, which use the “peer review” method, meaning each article is subject to evaluation by other scientists and is published only if it passes their scrutiny (Evidence-Based Research).

CureMS website is funded through donations to the non-profit organization Fondazione per la Ricerca Biomedica (FORB) ONLUS”.

Antonio Bertolotto, Neurologist

Greatness in life lies in the magnitude of the dream you choose to believe in.

Martin Luther King

Learn More About Us

Read more about the mission, purpose, and the importance of a dedicated AHSCT resource. Meet the team, or read about conflict of interest policies and funding transparency.

What is AHSCT?

AHSCT is a one-off treatment that involves a complex, multistep procedure aimed at resetting the immune system, which mistakenly attacks the Central Nervous System in pwMS (person with Multiple Sclerosis). First, your own hematopoietic stem cells are collected from your blood. Then, chemotherapy is used to wipe out the malfunctioning immune system by destroying certain types of cells. Finally, your stem cells are reinfused to help regenerate a healthier immune system.

Like any procedures, drugs, or therapies, AHSCT offers both benefits and associated side effects and risks.

Analysis of the results shows that no treatment, in any study, has been proven to be more effective—radiologically, clinically, immunologically and pharmaco-economically—than AHSCT (i.e., transplant).

Discover AHSCT

Explore AHSCT in this brief video: learn how the procedure works and how it resets the immune system.

News on Curems.net

A valuable new reference on transplant for neurological diseases, edited by Professors Matilde Inglese and Giovanni L. Mancardi, has been published by Elsevier (2024). This book serves as an essential resource for MS professionals and specialists in autoimmune neurological disorders.

Learn more

A consensus statement in Nature Reviews Neurology by ECTRIMS, EBMT, and lead representatives of ACTRIMS supports AHSCT for RRMS after high-efficacy DMT failure and before irreversible disability.

You Can Find Two New Sections on This Website About Quality of Life and Pharmacoeconomics in Patients with MS Post-AHSCT.

The Italian Trial NET-MS is now recruiting. Official notice here (in Italian).

Learn more

A Quick Summary of This Website

Cure MS

Is it possible to “cure” MS? Read more about the definition of “cure”, immune reconstitution therapies, and the importance of sustained remission.

AHSCT as MS cure

AHSCT offers hope as a potential MS “cure”. Here you can find the rationale, eligibility criteria for different types of MS, as well as its application to other neurological diseases.

Benefits of AHSCT

What are the clinical and immunological evidences supporting AHSCT as a potential “cure”? Explore the impact on quality of life and pharmacoeconomics.

Risks of AHSCT

Learn more about factors influencing risks, early and late adverse events, or transplant-related mortality.

Procedure

What are the steps involved in this procedure and how long do they take? What monitoring is required following the transplant?

Prospectives

Ongoing AHSCT trials, other hopes to cure, and additional online resources on MS & AHSCT.

Frequently Asked Questions About Transplant

Discover detailed answers to frequently asked questions about transplant, including key information on procedures, risks, and benefits, in our FAQs section.

For additional FAQs, please refer to this website: MS Australia

When was AHSCT performed in MS for the first time?

In April 1995, Fassas et al. in Greece performed the first AHSCT in patients with progressive MS.

How many patients have undergone AHSCT?

To date, several studies estimate that over 4,000 patients worldwide have undergone AHSCT. However, according to the latest EBMT report (Alexander et al., 2024), only 2,132 of these cases are documented in the European Registry. While American patients are registered in the CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research), the European Registry does not include patients who have undergone the transplant in other Countries.

Who can have AHSCT?

Each AHSCT unit (neurological and haematological departments) has its own inclusion criteria. In general, AHSCT is performed for aggressive relapsing forms of MS. Several studies have identified that the patient who can benefit more of AHSCT are: aged 18-50, with a low EDSS score and a short duration of MS.

Further reading: eligibility criteria for AHSCT.

Is AHSCT an experimental procedure?

No, it isn’t. Updated Consensus Statement by ECTRIMS and the EBMT, as well as lead representatives of ACTRIMS, “endorse AHSCT for selected indications. In relapsing–remitting MS, AHSCT should be offered to appropriate candidates, normally after failure of high-efficacy DMT but within the window of opportunity before the development of irreversible disability“. (Muraro et al., 2025)

Are all AHSCT the same?

No, each AHSCT Center has gained experience and may be more familiar with certain conditioning protocols. Besides this, conditioning regimens are classified according to the intensity of immunoablation induced (high-, intermediate- or low- intensity). In short, the difference between these regimens lies in the intensity of the chemotherapy used before the stem cell transplant.

Read more here about conditioning regimens.

Is it safe?

AHSCT has shown promising results, but like all therapies, drugs, or procedures, it may also present risks.

Early complications, such as temporary alopecia, infections, and gastrointestinal issues, are common within the first 100 days. While the risk of transplant-related mortality (TRM) has decreased due to improved expertise and care, long-term effects may include thyroid or autoimmune issues, as well as temporary or permanent infertility caused by the conditioning regimen.

Late effects may result from the transplant regimen or prior use of DMTs. (Muraro et al., 2017) (Sharrack et al., 2020).

Learn more here about the risks.

Is AHSCT more effective than other DMTs for MS?

To date, no DMT (i.e., traditional MS pharmacological therapies) in any study has proven to be more effective than AHSCT. Clinical data show that with myeloablative or lympho-ablative regimens, at least for 10 years post-AHSCT, more than 60% of RRMS patients do not experience relapses, no new MRI-lesions, disability progression.
Click here for other studies comparing AHSCT vs. DMTs, or here to view a summary table.