Expanding Clinical Utility: The Role of Serum Neurofilament Light Chain (sNfL) Beyond Neurology

Description of the study

The Real World NfL study is a retrospective analysis of existing data to examine how frequently and in which clinical areas the measurement of serum Neurofilament Light Chain (sNfL) is utilized.

NfL is a protein found in neuronal cells, and its concentration in the blood can indicate neuroaxonal damage. Elevated sNfL concentrations have been associated with various neurological diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Importantly, NfL concentrations in serum strongly correlate with those in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), making it a valuable biomarker for diagnosis, disease monitoring, and assessing treatment effectiveness. Due to the minimally invasive nature of blood sampling and the broad applicability of NfL across neurological diseases, sNfL is considered a promising tool for both research and clinical practice. It may enable earlier diagnoses and improve patient treatment.

The study aims to investigate the integration of sNfL measurement into routine laboratory processes in both outpatient and inpatient settings from 2021 to 2023. The number of requested sNfL measurements in different clinical departments will be analyzed to assess the utilization of sNfL beyond neurology and its potential impact on patient outcomes. The study seeks to expand knowledge on sNfL as a biomarker and its role in improving diagnostic procedures and healthcare.

To achieve this, data on sNfL sample management (e.g., collection date, requesting physician) will be collected and analyzed from the databases of Labor Berlin and the University of Gothenburg.

Contact: peter.koertvelyessy@charite.de

Principle Investigator: PD Dr. med. Péter Körtvélyessy

Study coordination: Laura Göschel

Course of the study: retrospective

Project partners: Burak Arslan and Henrik Zetterberg from the Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden

Publication/s: Expanding Clinical Utility: Serum Neurofilament Light Chain (sNfL) as a Multi-Disciplinary Diagnostic Tool (submitted)