Multiple Sclerosis

By using a test that measures neurofilament light chain (Nfl) proteins in blood, clinicians can better diagnose devastating diseases like ALS and MS, help predict disease progression, and better assess efficacy of existing drugs and trial therapies.

In this test-specific episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, and Bjorn Oskarsson, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, discuss how the neurofilament light chain test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories helps physicians diagnose neurological disease and assess neuronal damage.

Alicia Algeciras, Ph.D., describes Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ new blood test to detect NFLC, or neurofilament light chain protein. NFLC is a biomarker for several neurodegenerative conditions. The new assay can determine if a patient’s cognitive decline is due to a neurodegenerative condition or some other, reversible condition — while avoiding the need for more-invasive testing of cerebrospinal fluid.