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SCANDINAVIAN TRAVELER | MEETS | LOU BRUNDIN
MILESTONES IN
MS RESEARCH
1868
MS was first described by Jean-Martin
Charcot, who correlated the clinical symptoms
of the disease with the central nervous
system
1981
First MRI images of a brain affected by MS
1984
First description of cognitive problems
caused by MS
2003
Italian researchers transplant brain cells
to help heal damaged nerve tissue in mice
with MS
Source: National Multiple Sclerosis Society
When someone has MS their body’s immune
system attacks its own nerve cells in the brain and
spine. The resulting inflammation prevents the stem
cells in the brain from developing new nerve cells,
just like in the event of a serious head injury. The
substance that acts as a conductor between the cells
is broken down, with symptoms including urinary
incontinence, difficulty walking or paralysis.
Another common symptom is brain fatigue, in
that it takes a long time for the brain to process
information.
“Patients say, ‘I feel awful, like damaged goods.’
‘Not at all!’ I say. ‘You’re descended from people
who survived thousands of years of malnutrition and
colds. It’s your immune system that’s too good.’ ”
Brundin is keeping a low profile so that she
can focus on a research application she’s writing
with one of her colleagues. They want to test the
feasibility of treating MS with stem cell transplants,
whereby patients donate their own stem cells that
are then injected into their bloodstream. Animal
studies have shown good results and now Brundin
wants testing to start on human tissue.
SCANDINAVIAN TRAVELER | DECEMBER 2014
Go behind the scenes
Listen to Brundin talk
about life and travel at
scandinaviantraveler.com
H
er career has kept pace with stem cell
research. In the 1990s, stem cells were
discovered in the blood and later in the
brain’s hippocampus – the center of learning
and memory. Stem cells are reserve
cells that can develop into various kinds of cells, including
nerve cells. The substances produced by the
body due to inflammation damage the stem cells and
can harm their ability to create new nerve cells.
It is these stem cells that Brundin wants to preserve,
or repair, by injecting new ones into the brain.
“I have the most faith in finding ways for the brain
to heal itself. I can never be as precise as the body,”
she says.
Typically, MS affects women between the ages
of 20 and 40. As with the cause of the disease, the
reason why it affects more women than men is unclear.
Smoking is one trigger. It has also been shown
that the majority of MS sufferers have had the Epstein-Barr
virus, which can cause mononucleosis.
Research is being conducted in several fields, but
Brundin’s area of expertise is studying how inflammation
affects stem cells.
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