According to a story from PRNewswire, a recent study has revealed several new, less invasive biomarkers for multiple sclerosis. A biomarker is a statistical indicator that can be used to measure the presence and severity of a disease. The article was first published in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition in which the myelin sheath of nerve cells is damaged. The myelin sheath is an insulating cover that surrounds nerve cells and is essential for them to communicate normally. The cause of the condition is unclear, but it has been suggested that the body’s own immune system could be responsible for the damage. Multiple sclerosis can have a multitude of symptoms, such as loss of sensation, muscle weakness, blurred vision, issues with coordination, balance and movement, fatigue, chronic pain, problems with speaking and swallowing, and mental health issues such as depression. There is no known cure, but treatment can help reduce the severity of the effects or delay their onset. Multiple sclerosis can appear in an episodic form, where severe symptoms appear in sporadic events, or in a progressive, chronic form. To learn more about MS, click here.
The study focused on serum cytokines that were related to inflammatory activity. The expression of these cytokines changed during the progression of MS. Other evidence suggested that the serum cytokines could also be a useful way to monitor responsiveness to treatment. This was proven with the use of opioid growth factor and low dose naltrexone. These substances helped normalize serum levels for the cytokines that were being monitored.
While the identification of cytokines is an important step that has the potential to make monitoring of MS easier and less invasive for patients, Dr. Patricia McLaughlin, who lead the study at Penn State University, says that more specific cytokines should hopefully await further discovery. Only when more are discovered will there be a thorough catalog of less invasive biomarkers can the progression of MS be monitored completely.
Continued research will hopefully lead to more accurate predictions of prognosis in patients with MS, and will also improve the quality of life of patients with the condition, since these methods are meant to minimize invasiveness.
