BBB01

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Subtle blood-brain barrier dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: implementation and clinical application of a novel MRI technique.

• IRAS ID

  321093

• Contact name

  Floriana De Angelis

• Contact email

  f.deangelis@ucl.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University College London

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  About 130,000 people have multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK, one of the most common causes of neurological disability in young adults in western countries. There is no cure for MS and most people develop some degree of disability over time despite disease-modifying treatment. There is an urgent need to identify new biomarkers of ongoing MS damage to have more sensitive outcomes in clinical trials and to determine earlier who needs or is suitable for more effective therapies. Methods revealing the integrity and functional status of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo are promising candidate biomarkers.
  The BBB is a filter that protects the brain from harmful agents. In MS, the BBB permeability is altered, allowing for the passage of increased amounts of water and harmful substances, which contribute to nerve damage. By measuring the water passage through the BBB, we can estimate the level of BBB damage and, consequently, nerve damage. Current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to scan the brain are not sensitive enough to detect subtle BBB alterations in MS. We have developed a novel MRI method (BBB-FEXI) that allows us to identify water passage through the BBB in healthy volunteers. Our project aims to apply this novel MRI method for the first time in people with MS to measure how rapidly water passes through the BBB, which would reflect the degree of brain damage.

  We aim to recruit 40 people with MS and 20 healthy volunteers, who will undergo neurological assessments, MRI and blood tests.

  If successfully applied in MS, the BBB-FEXI may provide novel markers of disease activity in both relapsing and progressive MS clinical trials and clinical practice and become a potential tool to estimate treatment response and clinical worsening in people with MS in clinical practice.

• REC name

  London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/PR/1108

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Oct 2023

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion