In 2005, the Stem Cell Research Task Force of the National MS Society (USA) met with stem cell researchers, legal and regulatory experts, bioethicists, and other voluntary health agencies. The task force found that research with all types of stem cells held great promise, potential, and hope for people affected by MS, and that there was a high likelihood that this research would improve our understanding of the disease process and lead to new pathways for therapeutic intervention. Members recommended that the Society be more publicly active to ensure that this research could move forward. The Society approved the recommendations and asked chapter volunteers and staff leadership to voice concerns, but little opposition was raised. “We did lose a few key volunteers whose counsel we valued highly by taking a more public profile on embryonic stem cell research, …however, we would not remain true to our mission if we continued to stay silent on this promising area of research,” noted John R. Richert, MD, Executive Vice President of Research and Clinical Programs of the National MS Society (USA).
| The task force found that research with all types of stem cells held great promise, potential, and hope for people affected by MS.
Programme cover from the Stem Cell Research Summit, convened by the National MS Society (NMSS) and the MS International Federation (MSIF) on January 16-19, 2007. It brought together leading stem cell and MS experts from around the world to explore the potential of all types of stem cells for the treatment, prevention and cure of MS.
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