Fig. 3
From: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis: is it a clinical reality?
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The technique is initiated after collecting HSCs from the patient’s BM through BM aspiration or peripheral blood leukopheresis achieved under general or regional anesthesia [29]. The collected HSC grafts are cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen until they are required for transplantation [29]. The patient’s immune cells will be destroyed after high-dose chemotherapy along with immune ablative conditioning regimens. The cryopreserved HSCs will be infused into the patient intravenously, and then the reconstitution of the hematopoietic system will occur following 10–14 days after transplantation, with full recovery from chemotherapy occurring between 3 and 6 months [29]