GFAP Complements NfL as a Multiple Sclerosis Biomarker

[diane]

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a biomarker for both disease progression and treatment response in multiple sclerosis (MS), but the search continues for additional biomarkers to distinguish between disease activity and progression.

At a session of the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), researchers presented evidence that serum glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) could be a useful complement to NfL in MS, although it is not ready for the clinic. Acceptance of NfL wasn't universal, either.

[sukhsingh]

@diane NfL is a structural protein of neurons, while GFAP is a structure protein of astrocytes. NfL therefore reflects neuronal damage, while GFAP is an indicator of astrogliosis and astrocytic damage. GFAP has been shown to be increased in progressive MS and has been applied in traumatic brain injury and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder