Can blood markers be used to predict disability in progressive MS?
It can take a long time to see the full effects of treatments on things like disability progression and symptom improvement.
Instead, in many early clinical trials, researchers will look at signs that are quicker and easier to measure but still give a good indication of whether a treatment is working. These are known as ‘surrogate markers’.
These markers allow researchers to quickly identify promising treatments. These can then be studied in larger, longer trials to see if they also show clinical benefits for people with progressive MS.
Currently, the best surrogate markers that we have for trials in progressive MS are MRI scans to measure brain volume. The idea is that if the treatment is working, it will slow down, or stop brain shrinking. But MRI scans are expensive, time-consuming, and can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for people with progressive MS.
Researchers have identified some promising markers in the blood that can predict MS progression. But these markers have only been studied one at a time, and in people with relapsing remitting MS.
Dr Tallantyre and her team recently tested over 20 blood markers in people with mostly relapsing remitting MS. They found that they could predict MS progression more accurately when they combined four to six of these markers together. The team believe that this approach could also be used to predict disability levels in people with progressive MS.
About the project
The team aim to identify a combination of up to five blood markers that can reliably predict worsening of symptoms in progressive MS.
Firstly, the team will measure a panel of 10 markers in blood samples taken from people who are participating in the MS-STAT2 study.
They'll then go on to confirm whether the five most promising markers are able to predict MS progression in a second group of people. The team will use blood samples from 95 people with progressive MS who are not taking disease-modifying therapies and have been followed up for at least five years.
The team will work with people affected by MS to understand more about how predictions based on blood markers might be shared and used in the future.
How will it help people with MS?
The goal of this work is to develop a less invasive test that could accurately predict how MS will progress. This could then be used alongside, or potentially instead of, MRIs in early trials, speeding up the process of finding new therapies for progressive MS.
This work could also uncover a reliable single blood test to better predict future disability for people living with progressive MS. This could empower people to make decisions about their treatment and lifestyle.
The difference you can make
The race is on to find treatments that will slow or even stop disability progression in MS. By donating to the MS Society you will be supporting innovative projects like this.
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