Elecsys^® NfL

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease affecting approximately 2.8 million people worldwide.¹ Early and regular monitoring of disease activity is critical to optimizing treatment, yet some patients can find it difficult to access routine assessments, such as MRI scanning, that would allow timely detection of changes in their condition. 

In MS, localized inflammation leads to the disruption of the myelin sheet and axonal cytoskeleton, which can cause the release of neurofilament light chain (NfL) into the brain fluid and blood.^2,3 Standard clinical assessments and MRI sequences are valuable, but they often fail to capture the full extent of continuous MS pathology, particularly the subclinical disease activity that occurs before irreversible damage is visible on a scan.⁴

MS care is hampered by limited tools for closer monitoring of disease activity. Around 85% of patients experience a relapsing form of MS that can appear stable while underlying progression continues.⁵

The current standard of care includes either assessment tools that have high clinical utility but are costly and time-consuming, leading to accessibility issues, or tools that lack the standardization to detect subtle disease changes, limiting accurate identification of long-term disease progression.^6,7

There is a pressing need for a personalized approach, with accessible and scalable solutions to catch early signs of disease activity and monitor treatment response.^8,9

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is an abundant cytoskeletal protein found almost exclusively in neurons.^10,11 In brain fluid and blood, NfL is a sensitive indicator of neuroaxonal damage.^12,13 Under normal conditions, NfL is released at low levels from axons; however, turnover increases with age and following neuroaxonal damage.¹⁰ Consequently, abnormally elevated NfL concentrations can be measured in brain fluid and blood in a range of acute and chronic neurological disorders.^12,13

Roche’s Elecsys® NfL is an in vitro quantitative immunoassay for the measurement of NfL protein in human serum and plasma. Elecsys® NfL is intended to be used to reflect neuroinflammation in adult subjects diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.¹⁴

By providing an objective, highly sensitive measure of recent neuroaxonal injury, this rapid 18-minute assay helps make subsurface disease activity visible, empowering healthcare professionals with deeper insights between routine MRI assessments.¹⁴

We are deeply committed to innovate across the care path with the focus on making the detection of disease activity more convenient, and standardized to improve the outcome for people living with multiple sclerosis.