Exploring plasma cell motility and extracellular matrix protein biomarkers for primary progressive multiple sclerosis: A pilot study

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis is associated with neurodegeneration and chronic inflammation, and results in the accumulation of gradual disability. This pilot study investigated 92 plasma proteins using proximal extension assay to identify MS subtype-specific biomarkers with a focus on predicting primary progressive MS. We analyzed samples from 66 MS patients (22 relapsing-remitting, 22 secondary progressive, and 22 primary progressive) and 22 controls. ANOVA identified five proteins (ACAN, TMSB10, BST1, CLEC11A, MYOC) with p < 0.05 for differentiating phenotypes of MS, four of which have been previously implicated in MS pathophysiology. However, after correcting for multiple comparisons no individual proteins remained statistically significant. Logistic regression and support vector models using these 5 proteins for predicting primary progressive, in one-vs all-models, against other MS phenotypes and controls were of low accuracy (0.69 and 0.68, respectively). While not immediately translatable, these results lay the groundwork for future studies into MS progression biomarkers.