A New Prospective Study in Acute Optic Neuritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the microstructural architecture of the lesion in acute demyelinating optic neuritis.
IRAS ID
312120
Contact name
Pushpsen Joshi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
Multiple sclerosis(MS) is the most common cause of neurological disability in young people. It is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system(CNS) affecting the myelin sheath (fatty tissue protecting nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord and visual system). In MS, loss of this myelin sheath and damage to nerve cells causes disability.
One of the challenges of studying MS is the widespread involvement of the CNS which can limit our ability to understand in detail the changes to myelin and axons. A common occurrence is damage to the optic nerve resulting in optic neuritis(ON). 50% of MS patients will have ON during their disease course. ON results in temporary visual loss with substantial recovery. But the recovery is not full and there is lasting damage to the optic nerve. 50% of patients with ON will continue to have permanent damage of vision and quality of life. We will focus on the optic nerve in this study.
Treatments that protect nerves and replace myelin are emerging and will have greatest effect when used soon after acute visual loss. Our understanding of ON & MS during the acute phase is limited. We need to develop approaches that monitor disease accurately and identify markers to test new treatments in clinical trials in the acute phase.
In this study, we will use a multimodal approach to monitor acute ON in 25 patients using novel MRI techniques, retinal scans & blood tests. We will take measurements over a twelve month period to assess change & understand association with vision. This will improve our understanding of the disease process in ON, which will provide further insights into understanding MS.
Through identifying which novel MRI techniques, blood tests and retinal scans accurately measure disease activity in the optic nerve, we aim to enable trials for novel MS therapies and refine current management.REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1145
Date of REC Opinion
2 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion