title: Toward biomarkers in multiple sclerosis: new advances.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that commonly affects young adults. If initially characterized by acute relapses, it is later followed by only incomplete remission. Over years, progressive disability and irreversible deficit lead to chronic neurological deficits in the majority of patients. The clinical course is protracted and unpredictable, and no biological marker is useful in predicting the evolution of autoaggression and disability. It is difficult to diagnose and to monitor disease progression after the initial symptoms or even during the major clinical manifestations, and it is difficult to treat. In this review, the authors report recent advances in the field, focusing on the search of new antigens as a marker of the disease, in their relevance to the pathophysiology and diagnosis of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Interdipartimentale di Chimica & Biologia dei Peptidi & Proteine, Polo Scientifico e Tecnologico, Università degli Studi di Firenze, via Ugo Schiff 6, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy. lolli@unifi.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lolli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rovero
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chelli
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Papini
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D009462:Neurology / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers