Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by myelin destruction. It is the first irreversible cause of handicap in the young adult. Future treatments will have to be tailored according to the immune status of the patients. For this purpose, we search for biomarkers predicting disease progression and clinical responses to treatment, focusing on biopharmaceuticals including beta-interferon and natalizumab. Our overall strategy is based on a proprietary device in which mRNA gene expression is measured in whole blood upon exposure to antigens or therapeutic compounds.

Principal investigator: Patrick STORDEUR (PhD)
Associate investigators: Marcel TUYNDER (PhD), Rany CAVOY (MD-PhD Student)
Post-doctoral fellow: Hayfa HAMDI
Technical assistant: Françoise VILLEE

M. VOKAER, Hôpital Erasme, ULB
S. DETHY, CHU Tivoli, La Louvière
P. VERMERSCH, University Hospital of Lille, France
L. PRIN, University Hospital of Lille, France

Government of the Walloon Region
GSK Biologicals
The Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S - FNRS) and the Télévie Programme
The Belgian Science Policy
The European Commission
The Erasme Fund The Wiener-Anspach Foundation
The Belgian Kid's Fund
The Roche Organ Transplantation Research Foundation
The Dimitris and Noela Nakos Foundation
Roche Pharmaceuticals, Belgium
Wittycell S.A.S