Biomarker Could Guide MS Treatment Decisions
Biogen is engaged in research to evaluate sNfL, a protein that reflects neuronal damage and is elevated in the blood of people with MS, as a biomarker of disease activity. Results from a retrospective analysis of more than 1,000 patients support the clinical relevance of sNfL levels in the blood to predict disease severity and monitor treatment response in MS patients. Data indicate that sNfL levels above a certain threshold are associated with ongoing disease activity and negative clinical and radiologic outcomes, such as more disability progression and brain atrophy. Researchers also found that introducing disease-modifying therapies significantly reduced sNfL levels, and greater reduction was associated with better treatment outcomes.
“Our research suggests that serum neurofilament light is a promising biomarker that may predict a person’s disease course and help guide treatment decisions in MS,” said Peter Calabresi, M.D., director of the division of neuroimmunology and neuro-infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “These findings support sNfL as a clinically useful biomarker to help predict whether a person with MS is likely to have a fast-progressing or milder disease course. They also open the possibility of using a simple blood test to monitor whether a patient is responding to a specific treatment. The strong predictive power of sNfL may ultimately provide physicians with additional information beyond what is currently measured by MRIs to help guide treatment decisions.”
Looks like the Precision Medicine path will change how much BIIB makes on MS. Doing retrospective analysis is a certain sign of RWE at work.
