New research has revealed a close association between activity of the coagulation factor thrombin and inflammatory demyelination in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Thrombin activity was elevated before the emergence of neurological signs and subsequently correlated with disease severity. The findings raise the possibility that a thrombin-specific MRI probe could be used for preclinical detection and monitoring of MS.
References
Davalos, D. et al. Early detection of thrombin activity in neuroinflammatory disease. Ann. Neurol. 10.1002/ana.24078
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Thrombin activity—an early biomarker for neuroinflammatory disease?. Nat Rev Neurol 10, 3 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.259
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.259