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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter August 3, 2010

Transfer of myxovirus-protein-A mRNA assay for interferon-β bioactivity measurement in multiple sclerosis patients to routine laboratory practice. A 4-year experience

  • Cinzia Zanotti , Claudia Ghidini , Cinzia Lamorgese , Luigi Caimi , Ruggero Capra and Luisa Imberti

Abstract

Background: As new biomarkers are validated and their significance in the natural history of specific diseases is established, these technologies can be rapidly transferred to clinical application. Since it has been shown that a single post-interferon-β (IFNβ) injection measurement of myxovirus-protein-A (MxA) mRNA correlates with IFNβ bioactivity in IFNβ treated patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), we had previously validated an assay for its quantification.

Methods: We introduced a real-time PCR relative quantification assay into routine clinical practice and measured MxA mRNA expression in 564 samples from 500 unselected IFNβ treated MS patients over a 4-year period.

Results: We confirmed that the assay is reproducible over time, and found that the percentage of patients lacking MxA mRNA induction is comparable to that described in studies performed worldwide after patient selection by pre-screening for the presence of anti-IFNβ antibodies.

Conclusions: In view of its simplicity and reproducibility, this MxA assay is an alternative to anti-IFNβ antibody determinations for use in routine clinical practice.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1235–8.


Corresponding author: Dr. Luisa Imberti, Laboratorio di Biotecnologie, Diagnostics Department, Spedali Civili di Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili, 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy Phone: +39-030-3995408, Fax: +39-030-3995095,

Received: 2010-1-4
Accepted: 2010-3-3
Published Online: 2010-08-03
Published in Print: 2010-09-01

©2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York

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