Imagine being able to predict a serious neurological disease years before the first symptom appears. That possibility may be moving closer to reality after researchers discovered blood changes that can be detected long before multiple sclerosis is diagnosed.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. This attack damages the protective layer that surrounds nerve fibers, slowing or blocking signals that travel throughout the body.
As a result, people with MS may experience a wide range of symptoms, including weakness, numbness, vision loss, balance problems, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties.
The disease often develops gradually. In many cases, damage begins years before symptoms become noticeable. This hidden period presents a major challenge because treatments work best when started early. Once nerve tissue is damaged, repairing it can be difficult or impossible.
For this reason, scientists have been searching for warning signs that appear before the disease becomes clinically obvious. A new study led by researchers at The Neuro, the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital of McGill University, offers promising evidence that such warning signs may exist in the bloodstream.
The research was published in Annals of Neurology on May 22, 2026. The study was led by Dr. Adil Harroud and focused on proteins circulating in the blood.
Proteins are often described as the workhorses of the body. They help cells communicate, carry signals between tissues, support immune responses, and perform countless other tasks necessary for life. Because proteins reflect what is happening inside the body, researchers increasingly use them to search for early signs of disease.
The investigators began by analyzing more than 2,500 proteins. Using a genetic research approach called Mendelian randomization, they searched for proteins that appeared to influence a person’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
Their analysis identified 39 proteins that showed a connection with MS risk. Many were involved in immune system communication, reinforcing the idea that abnormal immune activity plays a central role in the disease.
The next challenge was determining whether these proteins change before symptoms appear. To answer this question, the researchers turned to the UK Biobank. This enormous health project has collected blood samples and medical information from approximately half a million volunteers and followed their health for many years.
Among these volunteers, 124 eventually developed multiple sclerosis. Because blood samples had been collected years earlier, researchers could effectively look back in time and study biological changes that occurred before diagnosis.
The findings revealed that eight proteins were already altered in individuals who later developed MS. These differences were detectable an average of six years before diagnosis and, in some cases, more than ten years earlier.
One of the most intriguing discoveries involved a protein called DKKL1. Higher levels of this protein appeared to be associated with a lower risk of developing MS. In addition, people who eventually developed the disease tended to have a milder course when DKKL1 levels were higher.
This raises the possibility that DKKL1 could serve as both a risk marker and a prognostic marker. In other words, it might help identify who is likely to develop MS and also provide clues about how severe the disease may become.
The researchers believe these findings could eventually lead to a screening strategy similar to those used for cardiovascular disease. Doctors routinely measure cholesterol levels to identify individuals who are at higher risk of future heart attacks. A blood test for MS could potentially play a similar role by identifying people who would benefit from closer monitoring or early treatment.
Such an approach could transform the way MS is managed. Instead of waiting for symptoms and irreversible nerve damage, doctors might be able to intervene much earlier and prevent some of the disease’s most disabling consequences.
The researchers caution that the work is still at an early stage. Before any screening test becomes available, the findings must be confirmed in larger and more diverse populations. Scientists will also need to determine how these protein markers perform when combined with genetic risk factors, brain imaging, and other clinical information.
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Source: McGill University.
