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.
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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.
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.
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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.