Researchers claim they discovered a new biomarker that can predict the progression of multiple sclerosis. The findings may lead to better targeted treatments and faster drug development.

According to the researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, the thickness of the inflammatory cell rim surrounding brain lesions was found to directly correlate with the severity and speed of disease progression.

The research combined positron emission tomography imaging data from 114 Finnish MS patients with postmortem brain tissue analysis from Dutch MS patients. Results show that the wider the inflammatory rim around a brain lesion is, the more aggressively the disease advances. Researchers said when microglial cells form a thick rim around MS lesions, their harmful activity pushes deeper into healthy brain tissue, causing irreversible damage. 

The findings are expected to improve the development of treatments particularly for progressive MS. The discovery makes it possible not only to identify patients who need more aggressive treatment earlier but also to evaluate the effectiveness of new drug candidates by observing changes in lesion rims.

The findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine.