CNS - Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a serious medical condition that affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States and an estimated 2.5 million individuals worldwide. MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the CNS. The most common form of MS is characterized by an irregular pattern of remissions and exacerbations of disease symptoms. By allowing doctors to monitor the underlying disease activity, biomarkers have the potential to markedly change and advance care for individuals with MS. We are conducting two biomarker discovery projects in MS. The first project, currently in the discovery phase, aims to identify plasma markers of MS disease activity, which could be used to diagnose and monitor patients. The work on this biomarker leverages earlier discovery studies done by our collaborators and uses available samples.