University of Adelaide researchers are working on a stem cell project they hope will lead to a new treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

They have started a three-year project using adult stem cells to directly target the damaged site in the central nervous system (CNS).

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord.

To control the disease, effective treatments need to control the immune response and repair damage to nerve-protection sheaths.

'We've already shown adult stem cells have great potential to control the immune response and promote repair of the central nervous system,' says Professor Shaun McColl in a statement timed to coincide with Kiss Goodbye to MS month. He said the trick was to get the stem cells to the right location.

'We aim to show we can modify stem cells to more effectively reach the central nervous system, and that we can use these cells to inhibit inflammation.

'If it works, there is great potential for a new therapy for this debilitating disease.'

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