UK teacher makes history with MS therapy

A biology teacher has been given a “game changer therapy to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), becoming the first patient in the UK to receive the procedure.

- Maryam Zakir-Hussain, The Independent

Experts believe the CAR T-cell treatment will “transform” lives by halting or slowing down progression of the disease. It is custom-built for each patient in the lab. The person's own T cells, which are crucial for hunting out infected or damaged cells, are genetically engineered by scientists and fed back into the patient via an infusion to “reset” the immune system. CAR T for MS modifies the T cells to recognise and kill B cells, which are known to cause damage and allow MS to advance.

Emily Henders, 37, from Bushey, Hertfordshire, received her CAR T last week at University College London Hospital (UCLH) as part of a global clinical trial into whether it can treat MS. The mother-of-two, who has sons aged six and four and is married to Brandon, told the PA news agency she was feeling well after receiving the infusion in a three-minute procedure.

“I'm actually feeling really good,” she said. “I'm feeling normal and I've got energy back. I don't have any nausea, I've had no fevers. I'm feeling pretty relaxed.”