Simoa Technology Unlocks Insights from Previously Obscure Biomarker
Neurofilament light chain (NfL) proves to be a transformative biomarker for understanding wide range of neurological conditions and advancing clinical trials
“NfL is rapidly emerging as a critical biomarker providing novel
insights into an incredibly wide range of applications, and its
potential to impact healthcare is staggering,” said
Research powered by Simoa continues to prove NfL as a critical biomarker for the transformation of precision health. Specific applications include, but are not limited to:
-
NfL as a biomarker for the diagnosis of minor head injuries (
Journal of Neurosurgery ) -
NfL as a dynamic biomarker of brain atrophy in
Huntington disease (Neurology) - NfL as a promising noninvasive biomarker for Alzheimer disease (JAMA Neurology)
- NfL as a sensitive and clinically meaningful blood biomarker to monitor MS and effective therapies for the disease (Annals of Neurology)
- NfL as a biomarker to distinguish between Parkinson disease and atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD) with unprecedented accuracy (Neurology)
-
NfL as a reliable biomarker for the diagnosis of concussions,
specifically in contact sports (
Journal of Neurotrauma ) -
NfL as a biomarker of brain cancer (brain metastases and glioma
activity) presented at
ASCO
“NfL is quickly emerging as one of the most relevant biomarkers in
neurology,” said Dr.
Blood measurements of NfL have recently become a hot topic for the monitoring and development of MS drugs, as further outlined in two recently published papers in the journal Brain. The first paper presents data that confirms serum NfL levels are higher in patients with MS as compared to healthy controls, and that higher NfL levels were an independent predictor of worsening disability the following year. Further, the higher the serum NfL levels, the more pronounced future brain and spinal cord volume loss on MRIs were.
Simoa has also demonstrated the potential of NfL as a viable biomarker for improving the drug development process and for advancing clinical trials that are testing treatments to cure MS and other diseases. Currently, clinical trials rely heavily on MRIs as a clinical endpoint measurement of drug efficacy. Unfortunately, MRIs are not very sensitive or accurate. The second article lays out the widely used clinical criteria for a new biomarker to be considered a surrogate endpoint, which would enable pharmaceutical researchers to monitor changes to the disease shortly after administering a drug to more quickly see its impact.
“When we look at MS for example, there are approximately 2.5 million patients living with the disease. These patients average about 1.5 scans per person, per year. These scans, however, measure brain atrophy, which is a very late stage measurement of the disease, usually not seen until after the disease has ravaged the body and when it’s much less treatable,” continued Hrusovsky. “Biomarkers like NfL can change the practice of medicine, enabling us to catch diseases earlier, identify impactful treatment methods faster, and check to ensure a drug is having the desired impact.”
To learn more about Quanterix’ NfL assay, click here.
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Source:
For Quanterix Corporation
Lindsay Poole, 617-502-4300
Pan.quanterix@pancomm.com