title: Peripheral blood biomarkers in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis is the most common autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system. The heterogeneity of pathophysiological processes in MS contributes to the highly variable course of the disease and unpredictable response to therapies. The major focus of the research on MS is the identification of biomarkers in biological fluids, such as cerebrospinal fluid or blood, to guide patient management reliably. Because of the difficulties in obtaining spinal fluid samples and the necessity for lumbar puncture to make a diagnosis has reduced, the research of blood-based biomarkers may provide increasingly important tools for clinical practice. However, currently there are no clearly established MS blood-based biomarkers. The availability of reliable biomarkers could radically alter the management of MS at critical phases of the disease spectrum, allowing for intervention strategies that may prevent evolution to long-term neurological disability. This article provides an overview of this research field and focuses on recent advances in blood-based biomarker research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Center of Department of Neurology and Psychiatry of "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pontecorvo
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Colasanti
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zamboni
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Center of Department of Neurology and Psychiatry of "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Francia
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: paola.margutti@iss.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Margutti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Autoimmune disease; Biomarkers; Multiple sclerosis; Therapy