Multiple sclerosis
Innovative evaluations to detect and diagnose
Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers a profile that can assist in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) by measuring kappa immunoglobin light chains in cerebral spinal fluid (KCSF) with a reflex, if positive, to oligoclonal banding. Propelled by Mayo Clinic-led studies into the presence of kappa IgG biomarkers in the spinal fluid of patients with MS, the assay has been optimized for peak antibody detection. This increased sensitivity delivers precision results that set patients on the correct diagnostic pathway.
Multiple sclerosis Test menu
Multiple sclerosis
Key testing
- MSP3 | Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Profile, Serum and Spinal Fluid
- Automated assay is objective, standardized, and enables definitive, error-free results.
- Same-day results for three-fourths of patients tested.
- Reflexive testing provides increased sensitivity and definitive answers.
- Adheres to widely used McDonald criteria for a positive diagnosis.
Highlights
Maria Alice Willrich, Ph.D., explains kappa free light chain testing — Mayo Clinic Laboratories' data-driven approach to diagnose multiple sclerosis. The automated assay is more sensitive, cost-effective, and faster than traditional oligoclonal banding, enabling definitive answers for the challenging diagnosis.
Neurofilament light chain
For patients suspected of having multiple sclerosis, testing for neurofilament light chain (NfL), a generic marker of neurodegeneration, can confirm a neurodegenerative disease process. Propelled by Mayo Clinic-led research, Mayo Clinic Laboratories has implemented a first-in-class assay to test for elevated levels of NfL in the blood. Positive test results not only confirm neuronal damage but can offer insights on disease severity, progression, and prognosis to guide therapeutic decision-making.
Key testing
- NFLP | Neurofilament Light Chain, Plasma
- Rapid turnaround time.
- A positive result suggests the presence of a neurodegenerative disease process.
- Results reported in accordance with established age-based reference intervals.
- Validated to align with CAP and CLIA testing guidelines.
Highlights
September 29, 2025 - This session provides an in depth overview of evolving diagnostic approaches in neuroimmunology.
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.
Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy biomarker
Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an astrocyte-specific protein that is released into biofluids during astrocyte activation resulting from trauma, neurodegenerative conditions, neuroinflammation, and other factors.
GFAP is among the most promising indicators of nervous system injury in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), with GFAP concentration levels in the blood reported to be higher in patients with MS than in healthy controls and individuals with noninflammatory neurological disease. GFAP concentrations in the blood have also been shown to correlate with disability severity in patients with MS.2,3
Key testing
- GFAPP | Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Plasma
- Measures concentrations of GFAP in plasma to identify astrocyte activation related to brain injury and other neurodegenerative disorders.
- May facilitate the understanding of disease severity.
- Results reported in accordance with established age-based reference intervals.
- NOTE: Results from GFAP testing must be interpreted in the context of other diagnostic tools, such as neurological examination, neurobehavioral tests, imaging, and routine laboratory tests.
References
- Solomon AJ, Naismith RT, Cross AH. Misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis: Impact of the 2017 McDonald criteria on clinical practice. Neurology. 2019;92(1):26-33. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000006583
- Högel H, Rissanen E, Barro C, Matilainen M, Nylund M, Kuhle J, Airas L. Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein correlates with multiple sclerosis disease severity. Mult Scler. 2020 Feb;26(2):210-219. doi:10.1177/1352458518819380. Epub 2018 Dec 20. PMID: 30570436.
- Ayrignac X, Bars E, Duflos C, et al. Serum GFAP in multiple sclerosis: correlation with disease type and MRI markers of disease severity. Sci Rep. 2020;10:1038/s41598-020-67934-2. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67934-2.3