NEW YORK – Metabolomics firm Metabolon said Tuesday that it is partnering with the Cardiff University Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics to identify biomarkers for multiple sclerosis.
Under the partnership, Metabolon will profile plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples collected longitudinally from MS patients with the aim of identifying metabolomic markers that could help predict progression of the disease and guide treatment.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The patient cohort includes patients with primary progressive MS, a rare form of MS characterized by continuous and progressive disease without periods of partial or complete recovery, as well as a subset of patients who have been genotyped, which will allow for multiomic analyses.
"Predictive biomarkers are needed to inform more personalized care for people with multiple sclerosis," Emma Tallantyre, a clinical reader at Cardiff University, said in a statement. "This collaboration will provide detailed metabolomic profiles on a large, longitudinal cohort for whom we already have other multidimensional data. This represents an exciting opportunity to improve predictive models and thereby aim for more accurate predictions of outcome for people with MS."
"Currently, there is no cure for MS, only disease-modifying therapies that can slow disease progression," Karl Bradshaw, chief business officer at Metabolon, said in a statement. "By leveraging Cardiff's extensive research and our decades of expertise in generating the highest quality and most accurate metabolomics data on the market, we aim to redefine our understanding of multiple sclerosis to make a profound impact on the lives of those affected by this devastating disease."