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Editor’s note:The search for a reliable biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS), and in particular a biomarker for the different subtypes of MS, continues. Several agents, including myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and myelin basic protein (MBP), have been suggested in the past for this role (
J Neurol Sci 2007;259:21–6), particularly as markers for conversion to clinically definite MS from a clinically isolated syndrome, but subsequent analyses have failed to show a convincing association (
N Engl J Med 2007;356:371–8). The advantages of a biomarker that can be obtained from a simple blood sample remains appealing, and other agents that can be detected in the serum are therefore being sought.