Blood-based test for multiple sclerosis - biomarkers for disease detection and monitoring of treatment

2^nd World Congress on Biomarkers & Clinical Research

12-14 September 2011 Baltimore, USA

Victor V. Levenson

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Mol Biomark Diagn

Abstract :

Detection of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a challenging process, which usually requires repeated imaging over time. Th e absence of unequivocal detection tests delays initiation of treatment thus increasing potential for signifi cant brain damage. Similarly, the absence of biomarkers that refl ect disease activity complicates treatment of clinically-defi ned MS and trials of disease-modifying medications. In this presentation novel biomarkers based on methylation of cell-free circulating DNA in blood will be described. Th ese biomarkers refl ect the presence of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) even when the patient is in remission. Moreover, they can diff erentiate patients in relapse and in remission thus opening the possibility to detect asymptomatic relapses, which constitute over 90% of relapses in RRMS. Treatment-related changes in DNA methylation-based biomarkers suggest that methylation of cell-free circulating DNA can be used to monitor treatment thus providing an objective measure of success for clinical trials. To illustrate the potential of methylation patterns I will use data produced by our MetDet-56 technique, which is designed to evaluate methylation patterns of 56 promoters in each clinical sample. Current version of the assay evaluates methylation on a genome-wide scale but still requires only 1 ng of DNA or 0.5 ml of blood plasma. Th is presentation will concentrate on technical aspects of methylation pattern development and assessment as applied to solving well-defi ned clinical problems of multiple sclerosis.

Biography :

Victor V. Levenson has received his MD from the 2nd Moscow Medical Institute and his Ph.D from the Institute of Molecular Biology (Moscow, USSR). His laboratory developed a unique and currently unmatched process for methylation detection in extremely small clinical samples (biopsies, cytological samples and cell-free-circulating DNA from blood). He has published more than 35 peer-reviewed papers in reputed journals.