Affiliations: Department of Neurology and the Center for Neurologic
Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Laboratory of Molecular Immunology,
Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur,
Boston, MA 02115, USA | Biomarker Discovery Sciences, PDD, 1505 O'Brien Drive,
Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Kevin C. O'Connor, Ph.D., Harvard Medical
School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur NRB641, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel.: +1 617 525
5348; Fax: +1 617 525 5333; E-mail: koconnor@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Abstract: Currently, there is no single test for multiple sclerosis (MS).
Diagnosis is confirmed through clinical evaluation, abnormalities revealed by
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
chemistry. The early and accurate diagnosis of the disease, monitoring of
progression, and gauging of therapeutic intervention are important but elusive
elements of patient care. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the disease
pathology is needed, including discovery of accurate biomarkers for MS. Herein
we review putative biomarkers of MS relating to neurodegeneration and
contributions to neuropathology, with particular focus on autoimmunity. In
addition, novel assessments of biomarkers not driven by hypotheses are
discussed, featuring our application of advanced proteomics and metabolomics
for comprehensive phenotyping of CSF and blood. This strategy allows comparison
of component expression levels in CSF and serum between MS and control groups.
Examination of these preliminary data suggests that several CSF proteins in MS
are differentially expressed, and thus, represent putative biomarkers deserving
of further evaluation.
