Dr Patrick Kearns, Rowling Scholar at the Anne Rowling Clinic, together with colleagues in Canada and the USA, has identified blood proteins that may play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) years before symptoms appear. By combining large-scale genetic and protein data, the study provides new insights into the earliest stages of the disease and identifies potential targets for future blood tests and treatments, bringing researchers a step closer to earlier detection and prevention of MS.
The researchers identified 39 proteins linked to MS risk, many involved in immune function, and pathways associated with the Epstein–Barr virus. Eight proteins were associated with the timing of MS onset, and one protein, DKKL1, was linked to a lower risk of developing MS and milder disease.
These findings help improve understanding of the earliest stages of MS and could help identify new targets for treatments or future blood tests to identify people at higher risk. However, more research is needed before these findings can be used in clinical practice.
Academic paper
Read the full academic paper: doi.org/10.1002/ana.78256Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Genetic-Proteomic Integration Identifies Predictive Plasma Proteins for Multiple Sclerosis
Authors
Yuan Ding, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; Simon Thebault, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; Patrick Kearns, Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh; Ahmed Abdelhak, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; Adil Harroud, McGill University, Montréal, Canada