Assembled by software from public sources.
Towards a cure
Can MS be stopped for good, rather than held back?
No cure yet1 confirmed · 38 running · 2 failed
In short
Most treatments for MS hold the disease back for as long as they are taken. This page follows the approaches that aim to stop it for good: targeting the virus that may trigger it, resetting the immune system, and teaching it to tolerate myelin. They act at different stages of the disease, so the page draws on several of them.
If the immune system no longer attacks the nervous system after such a treatment, the disease could stop without ongoing medication.
Stem-cell transplants can halt inflammatory MS for years in some people. CAR-T cells and tolerance therapies are in early trials.
Where we are
- A cure would mean stopping the disease for good with no ongoing treatment. Nothing is confirmed to do that.
- Immune reconstitution (alemtuzumab, cladribine, stem cell transplantation) gives lasting remission in many people after a short course. That is the closest existing evidence.
- CAR-T cells, which remove B cells more deeply than antibodies, are in early trials with the first results reported in 2025 and 2026.
- EBV-directed treatments test whether removing the virus can stop MS. The first randomised results were negative or inconclusive.
Written by the editors from the records below. Last reviewed 6 November 2026. Not yet reviewed by an MS specialist.
The evidence
What works
- Immune reconstitution (cladribine, alemtuzumab, aHSCT) · Relapsing MS
Alemtuzumab · 2 trials running
- Immune reconstitution (cladribine, alemtuzumab, aHSCT) · Early MS (CIS or RIS)
Cladribine · one trial
Being tested
- Immune reconstitution (cladribine, alemtuzumab, aHSCT) · Relapsing and progressive MS
Alemtuzumab · 3 trials running
- Cell therapies and tolerisation · Secondary progressive MS
3 trials running
- Cell therapies and tolerisation · Primary progressive MS
2 trials running
- Cell therapy or transplant · MS (type not specified)
2 trials running
- Cell therapy or transplant · Secondary progressive MS
1 trial running
- Tenofovir alafenamide · MS (type not specified)
Tenofovir alafenamide · 1 trial running
Did not work
- Temelimab · Relapsing MS
Temelimab
- Dirucotide · Secondary progressive MS
Dirucotide
What comes next
Open questions
- Does treating Epstein-Barr virus change the course of MS?Trials running
- Can T cells trained against EBV-infected cells help people with MS?Nothing running
- Is stem cell transplantation better than the most effective medicines?Phase 3 running
- Can CAR-T cell therapy stop MS without continuous treatment?Trials running
- Can the immune system be retrained to tolerate myelin?Trials running
Further reading
Reviews and guidelines
No reviews are linked to this area yet.
Lab research
No lab studies are linked to this area yet.
In MS in depth
References
The sources behind this area's background are listed with its Research background in MS in depth. Every trial, hypothesis, review and lab study above links to its own record.