Cell-type specific transcriptional risk scores and longitudinal multiple sclerosis outcomes

Researchers developed a new method to predict multiple sclerosis (MS) progression using cell-type specific transcriptional risk scores. The study combined data from the largest genetic analysis of MS involving 14,802 MS patients with expression data from 7,466 blood donors and 5,494 brain donors. Researchers analyzed data from 1.27 million peripheral blood cells from 927 donors and 750,614 central nervous system cells from 192 individuals. The new score was tested on 1,077 MS patients from South Wales and 272 patients from the UK Biobank. Results showed that cell-type specific transcriptional risk scores were associated with MS outcomes in two independent patient cohorts. This method could lead to more precise medicine and identification of new treatment targets.