Proteomics of Multiple Sclerosis: Inherent Issues in Defining the Pathoetiology and Identifying (Early) Biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Proteomics

Background:

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system demyelinating disease with unknown causes.
• Current animal models do not fully replicate MS complexity, hindering research.
• A lack of preclinical biomarkers impedes early diagnosis and the development of targeted therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of animal models in mimicking MS.
• To identify potential protein biomarkers for MS diagnosis and treatment.
• To discuss the role of proteoforms in biomarker discovery.

Main Methods:

• Literature mining of MS proteomic studies.
• Bioinformatic analysis of proteomic data from patients and animal models.
• Assessment of different proteomic analytical approaches and sample types.

Main Results:

• Existing animal models have limitations in fully recapitulating MS.
• Several potential biomarker candidates were identified through proteomic analysis.
• The importance of analyzing proteoforms for biomarker discovery was highlighted.

Conclusions:

• Improved animal models and robust preclinical biomarkers are crucial for advancing MS research.
• Proteoform analysis offers a promising avenue for identifying reliable MS biomarkers.
• Addressing challenges in proteomic methodologies is essential for future discoveries.