Advances in biomarker research in multiple sclerosis

Excerpt

Development of novel biomarkers in multiple sclerosis (MS), needed to assess long-term prognosis, develop personalised treatment plans and facilitate earlier diagnosis, has so far been limited since potential candidates have often lacked specificity, reproducibility and accessibility. Despite considerable academic endeavour over many years, the only robust markers commonly utilised in current practice remain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) oligoclonal bands, both of which provide limited essential prognostic information. More recently a number of alternative potential biomarkers have been proposed including chitinase-3 like 1 and neurofilament light chains both of which are based on analysis of CSF but have so far failed to be applied in clinical practice. …