CHICAGO -- For years, autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and sarcoidosis were incurable.

A doctor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital will soon begin a study that investigates the use of adult stem cells to potentially offer those patients hope.

Video: Chicago Doctor To Begin Stem Cell Research

Dr. Richard Burt said he believes that diseases such as multiple sclerosis and sarcoidosis are both caused by bad immune systems.

"The immune system is normally supposed to protect you from [the] bad, but it can become confused and start attacking you," he said.

NBC5 HealthWatch reporter Nesita Kwan reported on Tuesday that Burt's study uses stem cells from the patient's own body or the body of a close relative. The research does not involve embryonic stem cells, which was the focus of Ron Reagan Jr.'s speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

When processed properly, adult stem cells can be used to create a whole new immune system after the malfunctioning one is destroyed. First, some of the patient's own stem cells are saved and high-dose chemotherapy kills off the bad immune system. Then, the stem cells are put back in to grow a healthy new immune system.

The treatment worked for Matt Kruysman, who suffered from multiple sclerosis. He is in almost total remission from the disease, which had caused bouts of blindness and made walking difficult. He said he feels like "a million dollars" and now walks briskly and can see the world vivdly again.

"Wow, you know, to feel this breeze and look at the way the sky looks and the trees and all of this other stuff, and I remember when I couldn't see any of that," he said.

If it worked for Kruysman, Burt said he hopes it will also work for sarcoidosis patients like Andrea Wilson. Wilson currently takes several drugs to help her cope with the disease, which causes inflammation in the body's tissues, producing small lumps in those tissues. The inflammation most often begins in either the lymph nodes or the lungs. Many patients recover on their own, but Wilson is among those who is more seriously ill with the disease. Sarcoidosis may affect one in 2,500 people, Kwan reported.

"They [the drugs] have stalled the progress of sarcoidosis I would say a little bit," Wilson said.

Wilson, who has created The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, said she would be happy to take part in a study like Burt's.

"I would be delighted to take part in something that would be of such a great benefit," she said.

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For more information about Sarcoidosis stem cell research contact Dr. Richard Burt, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, (312) 908-0059. Also recommended is contact with Andrea Wilson, of the Foundation For Sarcoidosis Research.