Challenges of Targeting Cytokines in MS: Stephanie Blandford, MSc
The PhD candidate at the neuroimmunology laboratory at Memorial University of Newfoundland discussed the potential of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist as a biomarker in MS disability as well as a therapeutic target.
“The problem with targeting cytokines and cytokine receptors for treatment options is that they have a lot to do with the balance between the factors that cause damage, and those that cause damage to be resolved.”
Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) may be a useful biomarker for predicting disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2021, February 25-27.
Study presenter Stephanie Blandford, MSc, PhD candidate, Neuroimmunology Laboratory, Health Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and colleagues found that, independent of variables such as age, sex, disease-modifying therapy or previous relapse activity, plasma IL-1RA levels were correlated with expanded disability status scale score. They also found cerebrospinal fluid IL-1RA to be significantly correlated with neurofilament light levels.
NeurologyLive spoke with Blandford about the potential of IL-1RA as a treatment for MS inflammation as well as its utility as a biomarker for disability. She discussed the little-understood intertwined processes of cytokines that make it difficult to target them without affecting other processes in the body.
For more coverage of ACTRIMS Forum 2021, click here.
