ReviewMultiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)2022
Serum neurofilament light in MS: The first true blood-based biomarker?
Review in Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of age, BMI, and renal function adjustment on interpretation of serum NfL and GFAP in multiple sclerosis progression: a scoping review.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Article
- Human biomarker navigator.iMeta · 2026Review
- Impact of machine learning-driven analysis of blood transcriptomes in multiple sclerosis.Neural regeneration research · 2026Article
- Neurofilament Light Chain (Nfl) Level in Serum as a Suitable In Vivo Biomaker for Axonal Damage in a Murine Viral Model of Multiple Sclerosis.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Challenges and Innovation for Diagnosing and Treatment of Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Bridging Inflammation and Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis: Mechanisms and Emerging Therapies.Cureus · 2026Review
- Evaluating the potential of sNfL as a biomarker in MS management in the UK: insights from SUNLIT survey.BMC neurology · 2025Article
- Article
- Role of soluble biomarkers in treating multiple sclerosis and neuroinflammatory conditions.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Review
- Establishing Normal Serum Values of Neurofilament Light Chains and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Considering the Effects of Age and Other Demographic Factors in Healthy Adults.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- CNS cell-derived exosome signatures as blood-based biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- COVID-19 vaccines are not associated with axonal injury in patients with multiple sclerosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Observational
- Biomarkers of response to ocrelizumab in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Effect of alemtuzumab over sNfL and sGFAP levels in multiple sclerosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Association between serum multi-protein biomarker profile and real-world disability in multiple sclerosis.Brain communications · 2024Article
- Multiple sclerosis disease activity, a multi-biomarker score of disease activity and response to treatment in multiple sclerosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Increasing Neurofilament and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein After Treatment Discontinuation Predicts Multiple Sclerosis Disease Activity.Neurology(R) neuroimmunology & neuroinflammation · 2023Observational
- Proteomics reveal biomarkers for diagnosis, disease activity and long-term disability outcomes in multiple sclerosis.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Assessment of technical and clinical utility of a bead-based flow cytometry platform for multiparametric phenotyping of CNS-derived extracellular vesicles.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2023Article
- Association of serum neurofilament light with microglial activation in multiple sclerosis.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A simple blood-derived biomarker is desirable in the routine management of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is the most promising candidate. Although its utility was first shown in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), technological advancements have enabled reliable detection in serum and less frequently plasma, obviating the need for repeated lumbar punctures. In this review, after defining the knowledge gap in MS management that many hope sNfL could fill, we summarize salient studies demonstrating associations of sNfL levels with outcomes of interest. We group these outcomes into inflammatory activity, progression, treatment response, and prediction/prognosis. Where possible we focus on data from real-world perspective observational cohorts. While acknowledging the limitations of sNfL and highlighting key areas for ongoing work, we conclude with our opinion of the role for sNfL as an objective, convenient, and cost-effective adjunct to clinical assessment. Paving the way for other promising biomarkers both blood-derived and otherwise, sNfL is an incremental step toward precision medicine for MS patients.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.