Biomarkers in CSF for Multiple Sclerosis

We reason that if a disease is a distinct pathological entity then the proteins participate in its pathogenesis will also be distinct. However, a panel of proteins rather than a single protein may define the disease. Since most modifications in proteins occur post-translationally, genomics based techniques may not be sufficient to identify unique biomarkers of diseases. Recent advances in proteomics and mass spectroscopy have made it possible to identify large numbers of small proteins and peptides simultaneously in any biological fluid or extract. We have focused our efforts on the use of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain tissue extracts from patients with multiple sclerosis. All CSF is prospectively collected using rigorous protocols to prevent any artifacts that may occur from storage and processing. A variety of techniques are now being used in our laboratory and in collaboration with Drs. Cotter in Pharmacology and Dr. Cole in Biochemistry to analyze the proteome in CSF.