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Kat Lay, HealthCorrespondent

A treatment for multiple sclerosis that works by resetting the immune system appears to halt progression of the disease in almost half of patients and reverse the symptoms in some.

A new study found the use of aggressive chemotherapy and a stem cell injection prevented symptoms from worsening for five years in 46 per cent of patients.

MS is caused by the immune system malfunctioning and attacking nerves in the brain and spinal cord. While there is no cure, certain medications can slow the diseases progression. About 100,000 people in the UK and 2.3 million worldwide have MS.

Last year the results of a smaller, 24-patient trial of the treatment in Canada were hailed as remarkable. Seventy per cent of patients experienced a complete stop

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Stem cell treatment may halt spread of multiple sclerosis - The Times (subscription)