BYU Statistician and Mass General Researchers Team up to Tackle MS Treatment

Multiple sclerosis – a chronic, highly unpredictable disease of the central nervous system – impacts more than an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide according the the National MS Society. Doctors don’t fully understand what causes the disease, which can make it exceptionally difficult to treat, despite the fact symptoms can be managed through medication.

A Brigham Young University statistician and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are trying to change that, however. David Engler of BYU has developed a method that relies heavily on the patient’s past history in order to determine future outcomes. By collecting participant data every six months – specifically whether or not they’ve experienced a relapse and an estimated intensity of their symptoms on 21 point scale. Engler’s model then determines whether or not a participant’s condition will improve or decline in the next six months. This allows individuals’ doctors the opportunity to adjust their treatment plan ahead of time, rather than reactively trying to treat the problem during a flare up.

In addition to giving doctors a better way to provide personalized treatment for their patients, study co-author Tanuja Chitnis believes this diagnostic/management method could possibly lead to new treatments.

“This is important because currently, the majority of MS treatments are effective in preventing new relapses, however to date, most of these therapies have shown little impact on overall disease progression,” said Chitnis. “This tool may help to identify new treatments which improve overall disability measures.”