The invention provides methods of diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, including methods of identifying and treating multiple sclerosis patients who are at increased risk of developing a secondary autoimmune disease following lymphocyte depletion, caused, e.g., by treatment with an anti-CD52 antibody. The increased risk may be linked to certain single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes that are indicative of elevated IL-21 levels. Also embraced are methods of selecting treatment regimens for MS patients, and reagents useful in the above methods.

The present invention relates to administering glial growth factor 2 (GGF2) to a patient in need thereof, to achieve serum levels of GGF2 within a desired therapeutic window determined based on the disease or disorder afflicting the patient. In a particular embodiment, the patient is suffering from a disease or disorder associated with reduced levels of myelination and the GGF2 is administered to promote myelination in the patient.

In various embodiments methods are provided for identifying and/or quantifying one or more antigens of interest (biomarkers) on the surface of cell- or tissue-specific exosomes. In an illustrative embodiments the methods comprise: i) incubating a population of exosomes with one or more tissue-specific antibodies that bind an antigen specific to a tissue or cell type of interest that produces exosomes, where the tissue specific antibodies are attached to acceptor bead or magnetic beads so the antibodies bind exosomes displaying the antigen; ii) obtaining a purified population of exosomes bound by the tissue specific antibodies with and/or without photocleavable linker based technology; iii) incubating a test subset of the isolated tissue-specific exosomes with acceptor beads attached to test antibodies that bind an antigen of interest thereby binding exosomes that display the antigen of interest and a control subset with negative control acceptor beads; v) incubating the test subset of isolated exosomes and the control subset of exosomes with a donor-bearing antibody that binds an exosome specific antigen; and vi) detecting a signal produced upon illumination of the control subset and/or the test; and vii) detecting the antigen(s) of interest.

Biomarkers associated with neuroimmunological disease are described. The disclosed biomarkers are secreted proteins identified in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) samples of patients with neurological disease. The disclosed biomarkers identify patients with intrathecal inflammation, distinguish multiple sclerosis (MS) patients from patients with other types of inflammatory neurological diseases and from subjects without MS, distinguish progressive MS patients from patients with relapsing-remitting MS, identify subjects with non-MS inflammatory neurological diseases, differentiate healthy subjects from patients with any type of neurological disease, and/or identify subjects with increased disability, CNS tissue damage and/or neurodegeneration. Process-specific biomarkers that can be used in place of a brain biopsy to identify immune cell infiltration and/or activation in the CNS are also described. Methods of treating subject with neurological disease, and methods of evaluating the efficacy of particular treatments, based on detection of the disclosed biomarkers are also described.

This invention relates to a peptide comprising or consisting of at least 8 consecutive amino acid residues of the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, provided that said peptide does not consist of the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, or a corresponding peptidomimetic, wherein said peptide or peptidomimetic binds to an anti-KIR4.1 antibody comprised in a sample from a patient having multiple sclerosis or a predisposition therefor. The present invention furthermore relates to a method for diagnosing multiple sclerosis or a predisposition for multiple sclerosis in a subject, the method comprising determining the presence of an anti-KIR4.1 antibody in a sample obtained from said subject, wherein the presence of an anti-KIR4.1 antibody in said sample is indicative of multiple sclerosis or a predisposition for multiple sclerosis. Also provided are novel means and methods for the therapy of multiple sclerosis.

Compositions and methods for screening for a disease or a disorder associated with a deficiency in frataxin in a subject using biomarkers for diseases or disorders associated with a deficiency in frataxin are disclosed. The compositions and methods include determining the acetylation status of mitochondrial proteins. Also disclosed are methods of detecting progression of a disease or a disorder associated with a deficiency in frataxin in a subject and methods of monitoring effectiveness of a therapy for diseases or disorders associated with a deficiency in frataxin.

The present invention provides a method of measuring the levels of BCMA in a biological sample, specifically upon the B cell surface. The diagnostic assays are useful in predicting an individual's likelihood of developing or currently suffering from an autoimmune disease, such as SLE, and for methods for treating an individual clinically diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. This diagnostic test serves to predict a patient's likelihood to respond to a specific drug treatment, in particular treatment with BLyS antagonists, either singly or in combination with other immune suppressive drugs.

Provided are novel human copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, also known as superoxide dismutase 1 or SOD1, specific antibodies as well as fragments, derivatives and variants thereof as well as methods related thereto. Assays, kits, and solid supports related to antibodies specific for SOD1 are also disclosed. The antibody, immunoglobulin chain(s), as well as binding fragments, derivatives and variants thereof can be used in pharmaceutical and diagnostic compositions for SOD1 targeted immunotherapy and diagnosis, respectively.

Provided is a derivative of 22-hydroxycholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol or 27-hydroxycholesterol. Also provided is a protein conjugated to the above derivative. Further provided is an antibody composition comprising antibodies that specifically bind to 22-hydroxycholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol or 27-hydroxycholesterol. Additionally, a method of making antibodies that specifically bind to 22-hydroxycholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol or 27-hydroxycholesterol is provided. Also, a method of assaying for 22-hydroxycholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol or 27-hydroxycholesterol is provided. Additionally provided is a kit for detecting 22-hydroxycholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol or 27-hydroxycholesterol. A method of detecting an enzyme or enzymes utilized in phase II drug metabolism is also provided. Also, a method of detecting an enzyme that synthesizes 22-hydroxycholesterol, 24S-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol or 27-hydroxycholesterol is provided. Further provided is a method of evaluating progression of multiple sclerosis in a patient. Also provided is a method of determining whether a treatment for multiple sclerosis in a patient is effective. Further, a method of evaluating progression of Huntington's disease in a patient is provided. Additionally provided is a method of determining whether a treatment for Huntington's disease in a patient is effective.

The present invention concerns markers of multiple sclerosis, their use, and treatment with IL-17 antagonists, including IL-17 antibodies, of subjects with increased levels of such markers.