Monitoring nerve protein in blood tests may help predict multiple sclerosis (MS) flare-ups

A simple blood test detecting a nerve protein, neurofilament light chain, could be a new tool for monitoring flare-ups in patients suffering relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The research, published in Neurology, Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, followed 85 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, a form of the disease marked by worsening of symptoms followed by periods of remission. During the initial 6 months of the trial, patients were not given any disease altering therapy. Over the next 18 months, they were treated with interferon-beta 1a, a cytokine that has been seen to reduce frequency of pain flare-ups as well of formation of brain...