Finding biological markers of MS for better diagnosis and prognostication

Over recent decades, the clinical diagnosis of MS has evolved and improved with the inclusion of imaging and cerebrospinal fluid markers in the diagnostic criteria. However, the less invasive and more clinically accessible blood-based signs of disease (known as “biomarkers”) are not yet available for MS, and thus the process of diagnosing MS remains time-consuming and presents a barrier to treating MS from the earliest stages. To overcome this challenge, we need to first develop a comprehensive understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of MS. This will enable the identification of key points of interventions for stopping the underlying mechanisms triggering and/or driving MS disease activities.

Advancing technologies are now capable of measuring thousands of molecules for evaluation as biomarkers, such as proteins (proteomics), metabolites (metabolomics), and lipids (lipidomics) in the form of “multi-omics” data. Mr Lin’s recent work has demonstrated the power of multi-omics research in supporting MS biomarker discovery when combined with well-curated clinical data. Additionally, his work has indicated a significant role for rare forms of genetic changes in MS.

In this study, Mr Lin will integrate multi-omics data (multiple biological data types) and extensive clinical data to examine how molecular signs of MS are interconnected across different biological layers and contribute to MS risk and progression. He will also examine different forms of genetic changes that are understudied in MS.

Through a better understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of MS, outputs from this work could help identify new biomarkers of MS and contribute to developing better diagnostics to detect MS earlier, and increasing precision in disease monitoring and treatments for MS.