Review: Identifying patient subtypes in multiple sclerosis and tailoring immunotherapy: challenges for the future
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: The accelerating pace of technological and analytical development in the fields of genetic and phenotypic profiling has ushered in an era of great promise for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. As we continue to identify modest but meaningful associations to MS susceptibility, disease course, treatment response, and other clinical or paraclinical phenotypes, we must begin to (1) embark on the challenging set of studies that will integrate disparate observations into clinical algorithms, and (2) validate their clinical utility. Genetic data are receiving muchofthe attention today, but they are unlikelytobesufficienttooffer a personalized approach to disease management in MS. Rather, the genetic architecture of the disease, once uncovered, will offer a fixed platform upon which more dynamic molecular profiles can be assembled to deconstruct the structure of the patient population that we label with a diagnosis of MS. The tools and methods to gain insight into the heterogeneity of MS patients are available today; we must now realize their potential in enhancing the care of MS patients.
Author: Philip L. De Jager
Institutions: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2162209289