Clinical Neurology News editorial advisory board member Jonathan L. Carter, MD, scoured the pages of the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting program for his “top picks” in multiple sclerosis at this year’s meeting.
The top personal choices of Dr. Carter, an associate professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Phoenix who specializes in multiple sclerosis (MS), are abstracts about neurofilament light chains (NFLCs) as biomarkers for disease progression and response; cognitive function outcomes in MS clinical trials; better outcome measures; the relative impact of age versus relapse on treatment response; what makes neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders different from other autoimmune CNS diseases; and data updates on recently approved or investigational MS therapies.NFLCs in serum as a biomarker for MS and treatment response. Multiple abstracts explore the use of NFLCs as a marker for disease progression and response to MS therapies, including:
- Hot Topics Plenary Session presentation: “Monitoring Multiple Sclerosis Using Blood Neurofilament Light Protein” by Jens Kuhle, MD.
- P5.036, Serum and CSF Neurofilament Light Chain levels normalise following Bone Marrow Transplant in MS Patients.
- S24.002, Interim Analysis of the OBOE (Ocrelizumab Biomarker Outcome Evaluation) Study in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
- S24.003, Serum Neurofilament Light (NfL): Towards a Blood Test for Prognosis and Disease/Treatment Monitoring in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
- S24.004, Long-term Prognosis of Disease Evolution and Evidence for Sustained Fingolimod Treatment Effect by Blood Neurofilament Light in RRMS Patients.
- S24.007, Including Blood Neurofilament Light Chain in the NEDA Concept in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Trials.
- S8.006, Siponimod Reduces Neurofilament Light Chain Blood Levels in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
Cognitive function as an outcome measure in MS clinical trials. Several abstracts examine cognition as an outcome measure in clinical trials and show slowing of cognitive worsening in patients on MS disease-modifying therapies:
- S44.004, Impact of Siponimod on Cognition in Patients With Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Results From Phase 3 EXPAND Study.
- S44.005, Time to Cognitive Worsening in Patients With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis in Ocrelizumab Phase 3 Trials.
- S44.007, Benchmarks of Cognitive Performance in a Large, Representative Patient Population.