Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center (RMMSC) Biorepository for the Study of Neuroimmunological Disorder

Background: One of the major obstacles to addressing the cause and cure of multiple sclerosis (MS) and related disorders is limited access to a large number of biological samples with associated clinical information. We have established the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center (RMMSC) Biorepository to support the longitudinal collection of blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), urine, stool and data from patients who have been diagnosed with MS or related neurological disorders.

Objectives: These valuable samples are stored on the Anschutz medical campus of the University of Colorado Denver and made available to our researchers and collaborators studying inflammatory diseases of the nervous system.  A variety of scientific questions can be addressed including: What is the etiology of MS? What are the cellular or soluble factors mediating disease pathogenesis? What is the mechanism of action of current and future therapeutics?

Methods: Over a period of 20 years up to 5,000 subjects, ages 1 – 75, will be enrolled to create one of the most comprehensive repositories in the country. We will collect CSF samples with paired serum from adult patients undergoing lumbar puncture as standard of care at the University of Colorado and pediatric patients at Children’s Hospital of Colorado.

Results: Currently we have samples from 355 patients including 241 CSF samples from patients with a variety of diagnoses: 121 with confirmed MS, 19 inflammatory controls, 128 non-inflammatory controls. These samples have facilitated several primary ex-vivo investigations into the cellular and soluble factors (biomarkers) mediating disease pathogenesis in MS. Ongoing studies include: evaluation of B cell and astrocyte interaction in MS propagation and investigation into the role of extracellular vesicles in the physiologic or pathological MS disease state.

Conclusions: Through collaboration and innovation, we will use these samples in discovery of etiology of MS and biomarkers of disease pathogenesis so that effective strategies for intervention and cure may be sought. Request for collaboration may be directed to the Rocky Mountain MS Center.