Now
Researchers search for footprints— or “biomarkers”—to help track the course of MS
when someone is diagnosed with MS, the future is far from clear. What symptoms will they experience? Will the disease
worsen rapidly, slowly, or barely
at all? What would be the best
choice of treatment?
Imagine if there were a
“footprint,” in the form of
a pattern of molecules,
visible in a blood test
or spinal fluid test—that
would tell clinicians exactly what
to expect and how to best treat
that individual.
Molecular footprints exist.
They are called “biomarkers.” In
2005, researchers at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minn., identified one such biomarker that
has been a game changer in the
world of MS. An antibody called
“aquaporin- 4” was identified in
the blood of individuals with a
relatively rare disorder called neu-romyelitis optica (NMO). This
antibody clearly distinguished
this disorder from MS for the
first time. The NMO biomarker
created an explosion of research
and new hopes for better treatments for those with this disorder. Now researchers funded by
the National MS Society and
others are engaged in a heated
search for biomarkers that would
similarly help propel MS research
and treatment.
The latest news
In October 2010, several groups
reported exciting findings on MS
biomarkers at ECTRIMS (
European Committee for Research
& Treatment in MS), a meeting
where nearly 1,000 presentations
focused solely on MS research.
■ Richard Rudick, MD,
Richard Ransohoff, MD, and
colleagues (Cleveland Clinic and
Foundation) carefully examined
blood samples from 85 people
with MS just starting treatment
with interferon beta-1a, using
gene-chip technology that measured the responses of 166 genes
regulated by this therapy.
They found that a proportion
of participants developed three or
more new areas of tissue damage (lesions) while on the drug.
The authors concluded that MS
in this subgroup may be driven
by a different kind of immune
response. Gauging negative
responses early in treatment may
help identify a therapy better
suited to this unique immune
response. (Abstract #125)
■ Katherine Riester, MPH
(Biogen Idec) and colleagues
measured the levels of specific
immune cells—CD56bright NK
cells—among participants in the
CHOICE trial, now completed,
which compared the experimental therapy daclizumab to
