$7.2M NIH Grant Supports Study of MS Diagnostic Biomarker

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $7.2 million grant to a team led by Cleveland Clinic researchers that will study whether a new biomarker might more accurately diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). Grant money will support a study in 400 adults suspected of having MS to determine if the…

Blood NfL Potential Marker of MS Therapies’ Effectiveness, Study Suggests

Starting treatment with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) reduces blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a potential biomarker of disease progression and activity — to varying degrees depending on the therapy used, according to a large real-world study of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The findings support…

Michigan’s Memorial Healthcare First in US to Test NfL in MS Patients

Memorial Healthcare Institute for Neurosciences and Multiple Sclerosis announced it will become the first U.S. hospital to test a nerve cell-derived component known as neurofilament light chain (NfL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Led by the Owosso, Michigan, hospital’s chief of neurology and MS director, Rany Aburashed, DO,…

Acrolein Eyed as Potential Biomarker of MS, Preliminary Study Finds

A product called acrolein, which is naturally excreted by the body and possible to measure in urine and blood, may be a potential biomarker to help diagnose and evaluate disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to preliminary research in animal models and humans. Researchers are investigating whether acrolein…

Higher Levels of Neurofilament Light Chain in Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid Found in MS Patients, Supporting its Prognostic Potential

A meta-analysis of 13 case-control studies shows that the levels of the protein neurofilament light chain (NFL) are significantly higher in both the cerebrospinal fluid and blood of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, compared to healthy controls. This finding adds to previous evidence supporting the usefulness of NFL as a…

Deregulated RNA Molecules May Contribute to RRMS, Study Finds

The levels of three small, regulatory RNA molecules — long non-coding RNAs — are deregulated in blood samples of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reports. The long non-coding RNAs are involved in the regulation of the natural immune response and DNA-damage response, supporting the theory that these…

Quanterix’s Simoa Assay May Make Neurofilament Light Chain Useful Blood Biomarker of MS and Its Likely Progression

Quanterix’s ultra-sensitive Simoa assay has the potential to open new uses for the brain biomarker known as neurofilament light chain, including the possibility to detect early evidence of neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, and ably evaluate efforts to treat and prevent them, the company…

#AAN2018 – Biogen Data Covers Work into an MS Blood Biomarker, Cognition and Life Quality

Research that points to a potential blood biomarker of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, relates cognitive difficulties to patients’ employment and other measures of socioeconomic status, and one-year results of an ongoing clinical trial are among data presentations planned by Biogen for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This year’s…