The level of proteins called kappa free light chains in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — may be used as a diagnostic marker to identify the presence of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.
Testing for these proteins worked just as well as measuring oligoclonal bands, or bands of antibodies indicative of inflammation that can be seen when a patient’s CSF is analyzed in the lab.
“We provide profound evidence that [kappa free light chains] index and [oligoclonal bands testing] show similar diagnostic performance in patients with [primary progressive] MS and, thereby, filled the prior scientific and practical gap in this field,” the researchers wrote.
Indeed, the team said kappa free light chains “are an emerging biomarker.”
The study, “Diagnostic value of kappa free light chain index in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis – a multicentre study,” was published as a brief article in Frontiers in Immunology.