Early results for Crohn's cure

The Guardian reports that initial results from the first ever controlled stem cell trial (blogged previously in 2007, before the trial started) are very encouraging, with the leader of the trial expressing an expectation that half of the subjects will be cured.

Given the potentially fatal side-effects of the treatment it will only be an option for those most severely afflicted:

The stem cell treatment, which takes two years, is very painful for patients, and involves risks including bleeding, infection and a 1-2% chance of death. The stem cell transplantation is used to kill off the patient's old bone marrow that produces the harmful cells which cause the Crohn's and generate new healthy cells.

In reality it's far too early to consider a cure for Crohn's, especially as we still do not know the cause of the disease. Only long-term follow-ups of the stem cell trial participants will indicate its success as a cure. However, given the dangers in this treatment it is still not an option for the majority of sufferers, and so the research continues.