Secretogranin-1: A Potential New Biomarker for MS

Recent studies have shown that early administration of therapies lead to better long-term outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Therefore, it is of interest to identify methods that enable an early diagnosis, such as the detection of biomarkers. Biomarkers are a measurable indicator of disease, that is, something that is found to be increased or decreased in people with MS compared to controls.

In a study by researchers at the University of Bergen (Norway), the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 13 people with early MS was compared to that from 13 people with relapsing-remitting MS and 13 people with other neurological disorders, using mass spectrometry. It was found that a protein involved in calcium binding, known as secretogranin-1, was selectively increased in people with early MS. This provides a target for future studies, which can validate the use of this protein as a biomarker for diagnosis in MS, as well as attempt to understand its potential role in the pathogenesis of the disease.