University of Basel

Author Of 7 Presentations

Imaging Oral Presentation

FC03.03 - Depicting multiple sclerosis pathology at 160μm isotropic resolution by human whole-brain postmortem 3T magnetic resonance imaging

Speakers
Presentation Number
FC03.03
Presentation Topic
Imaging
Lecture Time
13:24 - 13:36

Abstract

Background

Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of formalin-fixed healthy and diseased human brains with ultra-high spatial resolution has the great potential to depict tissue architecture in fine detail, allowing a deeper understanding of pathological processes. Whole-brain imaging is important since it provides neuroanatomic relationships, reference points across distant brain regions, and a comprehensive view of pathologies affecting the brain. However, ultra-high-resolution whole-brain postmortem MRI is challenging and has been so far almost exclusively performed at 7T with specialized hardware.

Objectives

To develop a 3D isotropic 160µm ultra-high-resolution imaging (URI) approach for human whole-brain ex vivo acquisitions on a standard clinical 3T MRI system. To explore the sensitivity and specificity of the approach to specific pathological features of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

A fixed whole human brain from a patient with secondary progressive MS was investigated. Acquisitions were performed on a clinical 3T Siemens Prismafit MRI system with standard hardware components. URI is based on a gradient echo sequence similar to the 7T approach by Edlow et al. 2019. However, it allows to acquire an isotropic 160µm resolution with low hardware demands and to directly reconstruct the image data on the standard 3T MRI system. URI images display a strong, susceptibility-enhanced tissue contrast.

Results

The reconstructed URI images depicted with remarkable quality the diseased human MS brain at 3T field strength. URI allowed to distinguish fine anatomical details such as the subpial molecular layer, the stria of Gennari as well as some intrathalamic nuclei. Additionally, because of the unprecedented spatial resolution and contrast at 3T, URI permitted to easily identify the presence of subpial lesions, detailed features of intracortical lesions such the presence of incomplete/complete iron rims or patterns of iron accumulation in the entire lesion core in both cortical and white matter lesions (CLs/WMLs), lesions affecting the convoluted layers of the cerebellar cortex and nascent submillimetric CLs/WMLs.

Conclusions

URI provides a comprehensive microscopic insight into the whole-human brain at 3T through the micrometric resolution and a tissue-specific, susceptibility-enhanced contrast. We propose URI as an excellent approach to investigate microscopic brain changes of complex pathologies like MS.

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Imaging Oral Presentation

FC03.05 - Reduced thalamic atrophy in patients initiating earlier versus delayed ocrelizumab therapy: results from the OLE of OPERA I/II and ORATORIO

Speakers
Presentation Number
FC03.05
Presentation Topic
Imaging
Lecture Time
13:48 - 14:00

Abstract

Background

In multiple sclerosis (MS), thalamic integrity is affected both directly by demyelination, neuronal loss and increasing iron concentration, and indirectly by remote gray and white matter lesions affecting neural projections into and out of the thalamus. Thalamic atrophy may therefore reflect a large fraction of MS-related brain damage and thus represent a useful marker of overall damage and therapeutic efficacy.

Objectives

To assess the efficacy of ocrelizumab (OCR) in patients switching to or maintaining OCR therapy on thalamic atrophy in patients with relapsing MS (RMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS), participating in the OPERA I/II (NCT01247324/NCT01412333) and ORATORIO (NCT01194570) Phase III trials, respectively.

Methods

At the end of the double-blind controlled treatment period in OPERA I/II, patients entered the open‑label extension (OLE), and either continued to receive OCR (OCR-OCR) or switched from interferon β-1a (IFN β-1a) to OCR (IFN β-1a-OCR). In ORATORIO, patients entered the OLE ~3–9 months after the double-blind period cut-off and either continued OCR (OCR-OCR) or switched from placebo (PBO) to OCR (PBO-OCR). Changes in thalamic volume from the core trial baseline were computed using Jacobian integration and analyzed using a mixed-effect repeated measurement model, adjusted for baseline volume, age, baseline gadolinium-enhancing lesions (presence/absence), baseline T2 lesion volume, region (US vs rest of the world), Expanded Disability Status Scale category (<4, ≥4), week, treatment, treatment and time interaction, and treatment and baseline volume interaction.

Results

In the OLE of OPERA I/II, changes (%) in thalamic volume from baseline at OLE Week 46, 94, 142, 190, and 238, were: –2.88/–2.12 (p<0.001), –3.31/–2.36 (p<0.001), –3.61/–2.78 (p<0.001), –3.68/–3.03 (p<0.001), and –4.07/–3.41 (p<0.001), for IFN β-1a-OCR/OCR-OCR patients, respectively. During the OLE of ORATORIO, changes in thalamic volume at OLE Day 1, Week 48, 96, and 144, were: –3.46/–2.44 (p<0.001), –3.93/–2.61 (p<0.001), –4.30/–3.25 (p<0.001), and –4.86/–3.62 (p<0.001), for PBO-OCR/OCR-OCR patients, respectively.

Conclusions

In the OLE, patients with RMS and PPMS who were initially randomized to ocrelizumab experienced less thalamic volume loss compared with those initiating ocrelizumab later.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Oral Presentation

FC04.03 - High plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein levels predict disability milestone EDSS 7 in non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Speakers
Presentation Number
FC04.03
Presentation Topic
Biomarkers and Bioinformatics
Lecture Time
13:24 - 13:36

Abstract

Background

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is released into the cerebrospinal fluid and blood upon astroglial injury and activation, one of the hallmarks of progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS). It is unclear whether blood GFAP levels are associated with disability accumulation in secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

Objectives

To explore GFAP as a prognostic biomarker of disability worsening in patients with active and/or non-active SPMS (aSPMS and/or naSPMS) in the Phase 3 EXPAND study.

Methods

In this post-hoc analysis from the EXPAND study, baseline (BL) GFAP was quantified in EDTA plasma samples using Single Molecule Array technology. GFAP was categorized as high/low based on the gender stratified 80 percentile. The effect of GFAP on time to Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] 7 (wheelchair restricted) was assessed using a Cox regression model adjusted for age, gender, disease duration, treatment, relapses in the 24 months prior to study start, and BL EDSS. Subgroup analyses were conducted in patients with aSPMS/naSPMS (with/without relapses ≤24 months prior to study entry, and/or gadolinium-enhancing T1 lesions at BL) and were also stratified by gender.

Results

Samples were available for 1405 of the 1651 patients randomized in the EXPAND study; median GFAP levels (pg/mL) were 119.6 (male) and 141.4 (female). Overall, the risk of reaching EDSS 7 was higher in patients with high BL GFAP (96%: high vs low GFAP, [34/281, 12.1%] vs [54/1117, 4.8%]; HR 1.96 [1.27; 3.03]; p=0.0024). Interestingly, the increased risk of reaching EDSS 7 was mainly seen in females (23/169; 13.6%] vs [34/673; 5.1%]; HR 2.22 [1.30; 3.80]; p=0.0035), and not significant in males ([11/112, 9.8%] vs [20/444, 4.5%]; HR 1.45 [0.67; 3.12]; p=0.3457). Increase in risk of reaching EDSS 7 was mainly observed in naSPMS patients (high GFAP [14/133; 10.5%] vs low GFAP [22/570; 3.9%]; HR 3.40 [1.71; 6.75]; p=0.0005) and was not significant in aSPMS patients (high GFAP [20/144; 13.9%] vs low GFAP [30/521; 5.8%]; HR 1.58 [0.88; 2.82]; p=0.1250). However, associations between BL GFAP levels and time to 6-months confirmed disability progression showed similar trends, but were less pronounced.

Conclusions

Blood GFAP appears to be a prognostic biomarker of disability worsening. The relevance of the gender difference and the stronger correlations found in SPMS patients with non-active versus active disease needs further investigation.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Late Breaking Abstracts

LB01.03 - Neutrophil granulocyte markers in cerebrospinal fluid differentiate NMOSD and anti-MOG antibody associated disease from MS in acute disease phase

Speakers
Presentation Number
LB01.03
Presentation Topic
Biomarkers and Bioinformatics
Lecture Time
09:24 - 09:36

Abstract

Background

Background
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), anti-MOG-antibody associated disease (MOGAD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) may be difficult to differentiate. Detection of antibodies (Ab) targeting AQP4 and MOG is the diagnostic gold standard for the former two diseases, but has limited sensitivity and long laboratory turnaround time. Neutrophil granulocyte (NG) invasion of brain tissue is a key differentiator of NMOSD from MS, and has also been described in MOGAD.

Objectives

Objectives
To examine the capability to differentiate NMOSD/MOGAD from MS by the profile of secreted primary (elastase (Ela); myeloperoxidase (MPO)) and secondary (matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8); neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL)) neutrophil granule products in CSF.

Methods

Methods
CSF from patients with NMOSD (n=42), MOGAD (n=6) and RRMS (n=41) were evaluated for Ela, MPO, MMP-8, NGAL, and compared with markers of neuronal (NfL) and astrocyte (GFAP, S100B) damage by conventional ELISA or single molecule array assay. CSFs from healthy controls (HC) (n=25) served as reference. The association between biomarkers and disease groups was assessed in linear models. The kinetic change of biomarkers in function of time since last relapse was modelled across disease groups. ROC curves and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated to estimate the potential to differentiate NMOSD/MOGAD from RRMS in acute disease phase (≤20 days after relapse), as well as between acute NMOSD and MOGAD. The association of biomarkers with EDSS in acute NMOSD and RRMS was assessed by linear models and Spearman correlation.

Results

Results
All disease groups had elevated NfL vs HC (p<0.01), while GFAP levels were increased only in NMOSD (p<0.01). In acute NMOSD, all 4 NG markers were increased vs HC and acute RRMS (all p<0.01). In MOGAD, Ela, MPO and MMP-8 were increased vs HC (p<0.025) and acute RRMS (p<0.04). AUC in ROC analyses comparing acute NMOSD/MOGAD vs acute RRMS was high (Ela and NGAL: 0.91; MPO: 0.82; MMP-8: 0.81). In acute NMOSD, S100B and GFAP levels were increased in 89% (AUC=0.82) and 83% (AUC=0.80) of patients, respectively, vs median values of MOGAD. In acute NMOSD, EDSS scores correlated with all 4 NG markers (all p<0.01), and GFAP (p<0.031), but not with NfL and S100B (both p=0.21).

Conclusions

Conclusion
NG-specific biomarkers correlate with current EDSS scores in NMOSD. They show high sensitivity and specificity for rapid differentiation of acute NMOSD and MOGAD vs RRMS, similar to those reported for Ab against AQP4 and MOG. As the 4 NG biomarkers can be measured within few hours, as compared to an up to 2-week turnaround time for gold-standard cell-based assays for AQP4 and MOG, they could support individual decision making for acute therapeutic intervention. Further, increased S100B and GFAP levels differentiate acute NMOSD from MOGAD. NG markers may have a role in the diagnosis of Ab-negative NMOSD.

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Reproductive Aspects and Pregnancy Late Breaking Abstracts

LB01.06 - Interrupting disease modifying treatment for pregnancy in multiple sclerosis – effect on disease activity and serum neurofilament light chain

Speakers
Presentation Number
LB01.06
Presentation Topic
Reproductive Aspects and Pregnancy
Lecture Time
10:00 - 10:12

Abstract

Background

Pregnancy in MS typically goes along with reduced disease activity in the third trimester, followed by an increase in relapse frequency postpartum. Neurofilament light chain levels in serum (NfL) is a specific biomarker of neuroaxonal injury. Increased NfL levels are associated with relapses and MRI activity, while disease modifying treatment (DMT) response is reflected by a decrease of NfL.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether interrupting DMT due to pregnancy leads to increased NfL levels in MS.

Methods

We investigated prospectively documented pregnancies in the Swiss MS Cohort Study. Serum samples were collected 6- or 12-monthly and were analyzed by Simoa NF-light® assay. Uni- and multivariable mixed effect models were used to investigate associations between clinical characteristics and longitudinal NfL levels.

Results

We investigated 72 pregnancies in 63 relapsing MS patients (median age 31.4; disease duration 7.1 years; EDSS 1.5 at last visit before birth). In total, 433 samples were included: 92 during pregnancy or up to initiation of DMT but max. 9 months postpartum (pregnancy/post-partum period, pp), 167 prior to pp and 174 after the pp. Four patients had no DMT before, during and after pregnancy. DMT was continued in 13/72 pregnancies (>6 months during pregnancy: 6 rituximab/ocrelizumab, 4 natalizumab, 1 interferon-beta 1a i.m., 1 fingolimod and 1 glatiramer acetate). In univariable analysis, NfL levels were on average 22% higher during vs. outside the pp (β: 1.22, 95%CI: 1.10-1.35; p<0.001). We observed 29 relapses during the pp. In a multivariable analysis, relapses (within 120 days before serum sampling) were associated with 98% higher NfL (β: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.75-2.25; p<0.001); NfL was 7% higher per EDSS step increase (β: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.01-1.12; p=0.013) and on average 13% higher during vs. outside the pp (β: 1.13, 95%CI: 1.03-1.24; p=0.009). The effect of the pp on NfL disappeared after including DMT exposure (yes/no) at the sampling timepoint to the model (β:1.07, 95%CI: 0.97-1.18; p=0.178). Patients sampled during DMT had on average 12% lower NfL levels compared to patients without (β:0.88, 95%CI: 0.79-0.98; p=0.019).

Conclusions

Higher NfL levels were found during pp. This increase was independent of relapses suggesting increased subclinical disease activity during this time span. After including DMT into the model the effect of pregnancy on NfL disappeared: strategies allowing to continue DMT during pregnancy may be warranted.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Oral Presentation

PS09.05 - Value of serum neurofilament light chain levels as a biomarker of suboptimal treatment response in MS clinical practice

Abstract

Background

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) reflects neuro-axonal damage and may qualify as a biomarker of suboptimal response to disease modifying therapy (DMT).

Objectives

To investigate the predictive value of sNfL in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients with established DMT for future MS disease activity in the Swiss MS Cohort Study.

Methods

All patients were on DMT for at least 3 months. sNfL was measured 6 or 12-monthly with the NF-light®assay. The association between sNfL and age was modeled using a generalized additive model for location scale and shape. Z-scores (sNfLz) were derived thereof, reflecting the deviation of a patient sNfL value from the mean value of same age healthy controls (n=8865 samples). We used univariable mixed logistic regression models to investigate the association between sNfLz and the occurrence of clinical events (relapses, EDSS worsening [≥1.5 steps if EDSS 0; ≥1.0 if 1.0-5.5 or ≥0.5 if >5.5] in the following year in all patients, and in those fulfilling NEDA-3 criteria (no relapses, EDSS worsening, contrast enhancing or new/enlarging T2 lesions in brain MRI, based on previous year). We combined sNfLz with clinical and MRI measures of MS disease activity in the previous year (EDA-3) in a multivariable mixed logistic regression model for predicting clinical events in the following year.

Results

sNfL was measured in 1062 patients with 5192 longitudinal samples (median age 39.7 yrs; EDSS 2.0; 4.1% CIS, 95.9% RRMS; median follow-up 5 yrs). sNfLz predicted clinical events in the following year (OR 1.21 [95%CI 1.11-1.36], p<0.001, n=4624). This effect increased in magnitude with increasing sNfLz (sNfLz >1: OR 1.41 [95%CI 1.15-1.73], p=0.001; >1.5: OR 1.80 [95%CI 1.43-2.28], p<0.001; >2: OR 2.33 [95%CI 1.74-3.14], p<0.001). Similar results were found for the prediction of future new/enlarging T2 lesions and brain volume loss. In the multivariable model, new/enlarging T2 lesions (OR 1.88 [95%CI 1.13-3.12], p=0.016) and sNfLz>1.5 (OR 2.18 [95%CI 1.21-3.90], p=0.009) predicted future clinical events (n=853), while previous EDSS worsening, previous relapses and current contrast enhancement did not. In NEDA-3 patients, change of sNfLz (per standard deviation) was associated with a 37% increased risk of clinical events in the subsequent year (OR 1.37 [95%CI 1.04-1.78], p=0.025, n=587).

Conclusions

Our data support the value of sNfL levels, beyond the NEDA3 concept, for treatment monitoring in MS clinical practice.

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Imaging Oral Presentation

PS11.04 - Quantitative susceptibility mapping classifies white matter lesions with different myelin and axonal content and quantifies diffuse pathology in MS

Abstract

Background

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) identifies iron accumulation and myelin loss in smoldering white matter lesions (WMLs). Yet, QSM may be also used to provide a broader understanding of focal and diffuse MS pathology.

Objectives

To study QSM features across WMLs, to assess myelin and axonal loss in WMLs with different QSM features and to quantify QSM pathology in normal-appearing white and cortical grey matter (NAWM, NAGM).

Methods

Ninety-one MS patients (62 RRMS, 29 PMS) and 72 healthy controls (HC) underwent QSM, myelin water imaging (MWI) and multishell diffusion at 3T MRI. In WMLs, cortical lesions (CLs), NAWM and NAGM, we extracted mean QSM, myelin water fraction (MWF) and neurite density index (NDI). WMLs were classified into 5 groups according to their appearance on 3D-EPI QSM: (i) isointense; (ii) with hyperintense rim, Rim+ (iii); with hypointense rim relative to the lesion core, hypo Rim; (iv) hyperintense; (v) hypointense. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s correction for multiple comparison were used to compare (a) lesion types and (b) specific lesions vs all other WMLs. Voxel-wise comparisons of NAWM QSM were performed using Threshold-Free Cluster Enhancement (TFCE) clustering. Cortical analysis of QSM NAGM and GM-HC was performed using FreeSurfer and compared using a General Linear model (GLM).

Results

Of 1136 WMLs in QSM maps, we detected: (i) 314 (27.6%), (ii) 183 (16.1%), (iii) 16 (1.41%), (iv) 577 (50.8%) and (v) 46 (4.05%) WML. All WML exhibited lower NDI than NAWM and WM-HC (P<0.0001). Isointense lesions exhibited higher NDI (P=0.0115) and MWF (P<0.0001) than other WMLs. Rim + and hyperintense lesions exhibited lower MWF than NAWM and WM-HC (P<0.0001). Rim + lesions showed lower MWF and NDI than other WML types (P<0.001). Hypo Rim+ lesions and hypointense lesions exhibited higher MWF than other WMLs (P=0.0006, P<0.05). Hyperintense lesions exhibited lower MWF than other WMLs types (P<0.01) except Rim+ lesions. TFCE and vertex-wise cortical surface analysis showed areas throughout the NA tissue, where QSM is either lower or higher compared to healthy tissue in HC and in PMS compared to RMS (P<0.01).

Conclusions

QSM is sensitive to diffuse and focal pathology with various myelin and axonal characteristics. We hypothesize that isointense WMLs show high repair activity, hypointense WMLs are remyelinated lesions and hyperintense WMLs are chronic inactive lesions. MRI-histopathology work is ongoing to confirm these findings.

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Author Of 42 Presentations

Machine Learning/Network Science Late Breaking Abstracts

LB1213 - Attention-based deep learning identifies a new microstructural diffusion MRI contrast sensitive to focal pathology and related to patient disability (ID 2074)

Speakers
Presentation Number
LB1213
Presentation Topic
Machine Learning/Network Science

Abstract

Background

Microstructural biophysical models reconstructed from advanced diffusion MRI (dMRI) data provide quantitative measures (qMs), which inform about the brain tissue microenvironment, based on different assumptions.

Objectives

To compare the sensitivity of available qMs to focal pathology in multiple sclerosis (MS), and to explore which qMs– or combinations of qMs – are best correlated with patients disability.

Methods

dMRI (1.8 mm isotropic resolution, 149 directions, b-values were 0, 700, 1000, 2000, 3000 s/mm2) was acquired from 67 relapsing-remitting and 33 progressive MS patients (median EDSS: 2.5). The qMs for the isotropic and intra-axonal compartments were derived from the following available models: Ball and Stick, NODDI, SMT-NODDI, MCMDI, NODDIDA, DIAMOND, Microstructure Bayesian approach (MB) and microstructure fingerprinting. In total, 13 qMs were included and subject-wise normalized within brain tissue (nqMs).

To identify the nqMs sensitive to focal pathology, an attention-based convolutional neural network (aCNN) was built to (a) classify randomly sampled WM lesion and perilesional WM patches and (b) generate attention weights (AWs) representing the relative importance of the qMs in the classification. Twenty patients were randomly selected in the test dataset (709 lesion patches and 746 perilesional WM patches), and the rest were in the cross-validation (CV) dataset (2925 lesion patches and 3176 perilesional WM patches). The performance metric was the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Because of the correlation between the nqMs, which may influence the relative AWs, we performed 10-fold CV and selected the nqMS that most contributed to the classification.

To assess which nqMS – or combination of nqMS was best correlated with EDSS, we used Spearman’s correlation coefficient (ρ) with two-sided 20000 permutation tests and followed by Bonferroni correction.

Results

The test AUC was 0.911 indicating the aCNN learned the right AWs to differentiate lesions and perilesional WM. The most discriminating nqMs included isotropic and intra-axonal compartments from MB, the neural density index (NDI) from the NODDI and the intra-axonal compartment from MCMDI.

The sum of isotropic and intra-axonal compartments of the MB (sMB) showed the strongest correlation with EDSS (ρ=-0.40,corr. p<0.0001) followed by the sum of sMB and NDI (ρ=-0.30,corr. p<0.05), and the sum of sMB and intra-axonal compartment from MCMDI (ρ=-0.32,corr. p<0.05). None of the selected nqMs as a single measure and their other combinations correlated with EDSS.

Conclusions

By performing aCNN-aided selection of the openly available WM quantitative measures, we have identified the measures most sensitive to MS focal pathology; furthermore, we have derived a new contrast that – by combining the measures of isotropic and intracellular diffusion – strongly correlated with patients’ disability.

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COVID-19 Late Breaking Abstracts

LB1268 - No evidence for SARS-CoV-2 transcripts and disease exacerbation in COVID-19 multiple sclerosis brain (ID 2166)

Abstract

Background

Although primarily targeting the respiratory system, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also manifests with central nervous system (CNS)-related symptoms. Yet, little is known about the clinical course of CNS autoimmune disease and concurrent SARS-CoV-2-infection. Whether multiple sclerosis (MS) renders patients more susceptible to CNS involvement and / or infection during COVID-19 and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on disease activity remain elusive.

Objectives

Here, we assessed whether an impaired blood-brain barrier in MS facilitates viral CNS entry, and whether COVID-19 infection is associated with MS disease exacerbation.

Methods

To that end, we combined an in-depth histopathological assessment with spatial transcriptomic analysis using multiplex in situ hybridization analysis for immune and SARS-CoV-2 transcripts in autoptic brain tissue of an untreated MS patient, who died from COVID-19-associated respiratory failure, compared to a cohort of non-MS COVID-19, non-MS non-COVID-19, and non-COVID-19 viral encephalitis controls.

Results

Despite a general microglia activation in COVID-19 brain parenchyma, we found neither evidence for active demyelinating activity nor presence of SARS-CoV-2 transcripts in COVID-19 MS lesions.

Conclusions

We conclude that neither clinical and morphological signs of MS disease exacerbation nor presence of viral transcripts in MS brain lesions are observed in COVID-19 patients and that no SARS-CoV-2-specific abnormalities are present in MS COVID-19 and non-MS COVID-19 patients. Future studies will yield further insights into the risk profile of COVID-19 in MS and related CNS autoimmune diseases.

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Biostatistical Methods Poster Presentation

P0013 - Modeling a long-term virtual placebo arm for SPMS population in the EXPAND study: Comparing different statistical methods (ID 1774)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0013
Presentation Topic
Biostatistical Methods

Abstract

Background

Siponimod significantly reduced the risk of 3-/6-month confirmed disability progression (3m/6mCDP) versus placebo by 21% and 26%, respectively in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), during the core part of the EXPAND study. At the end of EXPAND-Core, patients were offered a switch to open-label siponimod in the ongoing EXPAND-Extension allowing follow-up for up to an additional 7 years; therefore, a long-term comparison between siponimod and placebo was not possible and a modeling for the placebo long-term trajectory was proposed using different statistical methodology.

Objectives

To estimate the long-term effect of siponimod versus placebo by modeling placebo treatment corrected for switch at the end of EXPAND-Core.

Methods

In the EXPAND-Extension part, 6mCDP was analyzed to assess disability. Time to 6mCDP to account for the switch to siponimod in placebo-treated patients was modeled by 3 methods: 1) Rank Preserving Structural Failure Time (RPSFT) model that uses the actual time to 6mCDP for switchers to compute a hypothetical time to 6mCDP as if they had never switched; 2) simulating the hypothetical time from the switch to 6mCDP based on core part data as if patients had never switched (Two-stage method); and 3) a parametrical model (Weibull distribution) to extrapolate a placebo survival curve.

Results

As of 6 April 2019, 878 patients (siponimod, n=593; placebo-siponimod switch, n=285) were still ongoing in the EXPAND-Extension. All 3 methods confirmed the long-term effect of siponimod versus placebo in the EXPAND population. The RPSFT model seems to provide the more accurate estimate for time to 6mCDP (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.69 [0.53; 0.90]) vs the Two-stage (0.76 [0.64; 0.92]) and Weibull modeling methods (0.58 [0.49; 0.67]). The RPSFT results were indicative of a persistent treatment effect over 5 years with a ~50–60% increase in the time to 6mCDP in siponimod versus placebo-corrected switch (median time to 6mCDP: 42.5 months for placebo-corrected switch as opposed to 51.7 months for uncorrected placebo; median not reached with siponimod). Accuracy of RPSFT is supported by simulations conducted under conditions similar to the EXPAND study, which included waning and increasing treatment effects, that found very low difference between the true hazard ratio and the hazard ratio obtained with RPSFT.

Conclusions

The results support the reliability of RPSFT to model a virtual placebo arm in the long-term in a SPMS population. RPSFT results confirmed a long-term benefit of siponimod over placebo with a preserved hazard ratio on 6mCDP and ~50‒60% prolongation of time to 6mCDP.

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Biostatistical Methods Poster Presentation

P0018 - Variability of the response to immunotherapy among sub-groups of patients with multiple sclerosis (ID 1239)

Abstract

Background

Our current understanding of demographic and clinical modifiers of the effectiveness of multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies is limited.

Objectives

To assess whether patients’ response to disease modifying therapies (DMT) in MS varies by disease activity (annualised relapse rate, presence of new MRI lesions), disability, age, MS duration or disease phenotype.

Methods

Using the international MSBase registry, we selected patients with MS followed for ≥1 year, with ≥3 visits, ≥1 visit per year. Marginal structural models (MSMs) were used to compare the hazard ratios (HR) of 6-month confirmed worsening and improvement of disability (EDSS), and the incidence of relapses between treated and untreated periods. MSMs were continuously re-adjusted for patient age, sex, pregnancy, date, time from first symptom, prior relapse history, disability and MRI activity.

Results

Among 23 687 patients with relapsing MS, those on DMT experienced 20% greater chance of disability improvement [HR 1.20 (95% CI 1.0-1.5)], 47% lower risk of disability worsening [HR 0.53 (0.39-0.71)] and 51% reduction in relapses [HR 0.49 (0.43-0.55)]. The effect of DMT on relapses and EDSS worsening was attenuated with longer MS duration and higher prior relapse rate. The effect of DMT on EDSS improvement and relapses was more evident in low EDSS categories. DMT was associated with 51% EDSS improvement in patients without new MRI lesions [HR 1.51 (1.00-2.28)] compared to 4% in those with MRI activity [HR 1.04 (0.88-1.24)]. Among 26329 participants with relapsing or progressive MS, DMT was associated with 25% reduction in EDSS worsening and 42% reduction in relapses in patients with relapsing MS [HR 0.75 (0.65-0.86) and HR 0.58 (CI 0.54-62), respectively], while evidence for such beneficial effects of treatment in patients with progressive MS was not found [HR 1.11 (0.91-1.46) and HR 1.16 (0.91-1.46), respectively].

Conclusions

DMTs are associated with reduction in relapse frequency, progression of disability, and increased chance of recovery from disability. In general, the effectiveness of DMTs was most pronounced in subgroups with shorter MS duration, lower EDSS, lower relapse rate and relapsing MS phenotype.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0032 - Baseline serum Neurofilament light chain levels predict conversion to McDonald 2005 MS within 2 yrs of a first clinical demyelinating event in REFLEX (ID 1096)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0032
Presentation Topic
Biomarkers and Bioinformatics

Abstract

Background

Serum Neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is a biomarker of neuronal damage, reflecting disease activity, drug response, and is predictive of future disability in established multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objectives

Post hoc analysis to assess whether baseline (Month [M] 0) sNfL concentration can predict conversion to McDonald (McD) 2005 MS in patients (pts) with a first clinical demyelinating event (FCDE) receiving subcutaneous interferon β-1a (scIFNβ-1a) once (qw) or three (tiw) times weekly, or placebo (PBO) in the phase 3 trial REFLEX.

Methods

Pts randomized to scIFNβ-1a tiw (n=171) or qw (n=175), or PBO (n=171) were followed-up over 2 yrs; converters to 'clinically definite MS' switched to open label scIFNβ-1a tiw. High and low M0 sNfL subgroups were defined by median sNfL concentration (26.1 pg/ml at M0). Median (95% confidence intervals [CI]) time to McD MS (days) by treatment group and M0 sNfL subgroup was calculated by Kaplan Meier. Hazard ratios (HR; 95% CI) to determine factors influencing risk of conversion to McD MS were calculated using a univariate Cox’s proportional hazard model. A stepwise multivariate Cox’s proportional hazard model was performed using factors selected from the univariate model (threshold P<0.15). For both models, variable selection was based on a two-sided Wald test.

Results

High sNfL levels at baseline correlated with the likelihood for conversion to McD MS (low vs high M0 sNfL, HR [95% CI]: 0.58 [0.47; 0.72], P<0.001). Other baseline factors that reduced the risk of conversion to McD MS (univariate model) included: classification of FCDE (mono- vs multifocal: 0.68 [0.55; 0.83], P<0.001) and low numbers of MRI lesions (number of T2 lesions: 1.02 [1.02; 1.03], P<0.001; number of T1 gadolinium-enhancing [Gd+] lesions: 1.14 [1.11; 1.17], P<0.001; number of T1 hypointense lesions: 1.04 [1.02; 1.05]; P<0.001). Furthermore, treatment with scIFNβ-1a tiw (vs PBO: 0.53 [0.41; 0.69], P<0.001) or qw (0.71 [0.56; 0.91], P=0.006) reduced the risk of conversion to McD MS. These findings were confirmed by multivariate models for baseline sNfL subgroup (P=0.024), classification of FCDE (P<0.001), most baseline imaging findings (number of T2 lesions, number of T1 Gd+ lesions; (P≤0.001), and on-study treatment (both P<0.001).

Conclusions

Among other factors, baseline sNfL concentration was identified as a predictor of conversion to McD MS in patients with a FCDE.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0033 - Baseline serum neurofilament light levels have prognostic value for on-study MRI activity: Results from ASCLEPIOS trials (ID 1669)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0033
Presentation Topic
Biomarkers and Bioinformatics

Abstract

Background

In the ASCLEPIOS I/II trials, ofatumumab significantly lowered serum neurofilament light (sNfL) levels, a marker of disease activity and treatment response, in the first assessment at month 3 and at all subsequent visits versus teriflunomide.

Objectives

To investigate the prognostic value of baseline sNfL for on-study disease activity and worsening in patients with relapsing MS, particularly in newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients.

Methods

Patients (pooled N=1882) were randomized to ofatumumab or teriflunomide, receiving treatment for up to 30 months. Patients were stratified by median baseline sNfL levels. We assessed annual on-study T2 lesion formation and brain volume loss (BVL, Jacobian integration) by sNfL category in all patients and in the subgroup of newly diagnosed within 3 year of screening without prior disease-modifying treatment (representing natural course of sNfL and disease at baseline) at month 24 or end of study. The annualized rate of new or enlarging T2 (neT2) lesions in year-2 versus year-1 was assessed in all patients by sNfL category (negative binomial model with time [in year] as offset).

Results

Patients with high sNfL (>median) levels at baseline developed more neT2 lesions per year on study than patients with low (≤median) sNfL levels (adjusted mean rate: ofatumumab: 0.95 vs 0.39, relative increase 143%, p<0.001; teriflunomide 5.28 vs 3.02, relative increase 74.5%, p<0.001). The prognostic value of baseline sNfL persists for year-2 (high vs low, ofatumumab: 0.09 vs 0.06, 64.5%, p=0.124; teriflunomide 4.53 vs 3.12, 45.6%, p=0.003. A single sNfL assessment at baseline had no prognostic value for on-study relapses and disability worsening. Patients with high baseline sNfL had higher annualized rate of BVL than patients with low sNfL (ofatumumab: 0.32% vs 0.23%, relative difference 37.3%, p=0.045; teriflunomide: 0.43% vs 0.29%, relative difference 49.4%, p<0.001). The results were consistent in the subgroup of newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients. The relative treatment effect of ofatumumab versus teriflunomide was similar across all measures in both the high and low sNfL groups.

Conclusions

Baseline sNfL levels were prognostic for on-study lesion formation and BVL for at least 2 years, in all patients and in the subgroup of newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients. sNfL levels can supplement clinical assessments and help identify patients at high risk for future disease activity.

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Biosensors Poster Presentation

P0069 - dreams: developing a comprehensive, sensitive and validated set of digital biomarkers for MS (ID 1323)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0069
Presentation Topic
Biosensors

Abstract

Background

Smartphones and watches and their inbuilt sensors allow for the collection of a near to infinite amount of data about their owners. Taking advantage of these capabilities to improve disease characterisation and monitoring and to support treatment decisions in MS seems obvious but faces a number of challenges: Selection and validation of a comprehensive and meaningful set of tests, managing the immense amount of data and identifying the useful information, data privacy and ascertainment of long-term adherence.

Objectives

To assess systematically the feasibility of a comprehensive smartphone and smartwatch based set of digital biomarkers for disease monitoring in patients with MS (PwMS) and validate this tool against currently available state of the art clinical, imaging and body fluid assessments.

Methods

The dreams App is a software application including multiple biomarkers for each of the domains movement, dexterity, cognition and vision as well as questionnaires for fatigue and other patient reported outcomes. Compliance is enhanced through a gamification-approach. We are currently conducting a feasibility study with a group of PwMS and matched healthy controls to further evaluate the technical reliability of a larger set of digital biomarkers and select those best suited for the validation studies. Early next year, the first of two independent validation studies including 400 PwMS, recruited from participants in the Swiss MS cohort (SMSC) is planned to further validate the digital biomarkers through correlation with established standardized clinical, imaging and body fluid markers already implemented in the SMSC.

Results

Preliminary in-house reliability testing with healthy controls showed intra class correlation coefficients of >60% for the digital biomarkers included in the feasibility study and >80% for at least one in every domain. These results were derived through unguided repetitions over multi-day-timeframes and not optimal laboratory conditions in order to truthfully reflect future use.

Conclusions

With this program, we aim at establishing dreams as a novel smartphone-based comprehensive, modular, validated, independent and broadly accepted digital assessment tool for PwMS. Integrated into a data management and precision medicine based decision support system this assessment tool would improve every day management and allow for better assessment of new therapies in the setting of clinical trials.

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Clinical Outcome Measures Poster Presentation

P0071 - Effect of oral ponesimod on clinical disease activity and MRI-based outcomes in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis: Phase 3 OPTIMUM study (ID 1570)

Abstract

Background

Ponesimod (PON), an orally active, highly selective and reversible modulator of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1, reduces circulating lymphocytes by sequestration in lymphoid organs. In the phase-3 OPTIMUM study (NCT02425644), PON showed superior efficacy vs teriflunomide (TER) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS).

Objectives

To evaluate prespecified MRI-based endpoints and no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) status in patients with RMS.

Methods

Patients (18-55 years) with RMS (expanded disability status scale scores: 0-5.5) were randomized (1:1) to receive PON 20 mg or TER 14 mg for 108 weeks. MRI endpoints included: percentage change from baseline to week 108 in brain volume (SIENA, Structural Image Evaluation, using Normalization of Atrophy), mean number of new gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) T1 lesions and volume/count of new/enlarging T2-weighted (T2) lesions. NEDA-3 (absence of confirmed relapse, 12-week confirmed disability accumulation, Gd+T1 and new/enlarging T2 lesions on annual MRIs) and NEDA-4 status (NEDA-3 and no average annual brain volume decrease ≥0.4%) were evaluated from baseline to week 108.

Results

985/1133 (86.9%) randomized patients completed the study. MRI findings for PON vs TER from baseline to week 108, respectively, were: least square (LS) mean percent change from baseline in brain volume: −0.91% vs −1.25% (difference: 0.34%, 95% CLs: 0.17;0.50, p<0.0001); LS mean difference (PON−TER) in change from baseline in total T2 lesion load: −399.2 mm3 (95% CLs: −651.5;−146.8, p=0.002); mean number of new/enlarging T2 lesions per year: 1.40 vs 3.16 (rate ratio [RR]: 0.44, 95% CLs: 0.36;0.54, p<0.0001); PON vs TER odds ratio (OR [95% CL]) for absence of new/enlarging T2 lesions: 1.71 (1.30;2.25, p=0.0001); mean number of new Gd+T1 lesions per scan: 0.18 vs 0.43 (RR: 0.42, 95% CLs: 0.31;0.56, p<0.0001); PON vs TER (OR [95% CL]) for absence of new Gd+T1 lesions: 2.18 (1.61;2.95, p<0.0001). At week 108, 28.2% (159/564) PON vs 18.3% (102/558) TER patients (OR: 1.70, 95% CLs: 1.27;2.28, p=0.0004) achieved NEDA-3; 15.0% (79/526) PON vs 8.5% (45/532) TER patients (OR: 1.85, 95% CLs: 1.24;2.76, p=0.0026) achieved NEDA-4. The most common reason for not achieving NEDA-3 or NEDA-4 status was presence of new/enlarging T2 lesions.

Conclusions

PON showed benefit vs TER for all MRI outcomes including brain volume loss and a significantly higher proportion of patients achieved NEDA-3 and NEDA-4 status, supporting the effects observed on clinical endpoints.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0096 - Intrathecal immunoglobulin M synthesis is associated with higher disease activity and severity in Multiple Sclerosis (ID 1101)

Abstract

Background

Additional biomarkers reflecting disease activity and predicting severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) are urgently needed.

Objectives

To explore whether intrathecal immunoglobulin (Ig) M synthesis is associated with time from disease onset to first relapse, MS Severity Score (MSSS) and time to first initiation of high efficacy disease modifying treatments (DMT) in patients with relapsing MS in the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Cohort study.

Methods

487patients were categorized by presence of CSF oligoclonal IgG bands (OCGB) and quantitative intrathecal IgG and IgM production (Intrathecal Fraction, IF). Treatments were classified according to "no therapy", "platform", "oral" and "high efficacy". Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models or a multivariable linear model, adjusted for relevant covariables, were used to assess time from disease onset to described endpoints and associations with the MSSS.

Results

OCGB were present in 89.3%, IgGIF in 66.3%, IgMIF in 26.9% and IgAIF in 11.9% of patients. Patients with IgMIF had a shorter interval from disease onset to first relapse (HR 1.887 [CI 1.181, 3.014], p<0.01) compared to those without OCGB and IgGIF and IgMIF. Quantitatively, patients with IgMIF above versus below the median had a 1.75- fold increased hazard of occurrence of a first relapse (HR 1.746 [CI 1.097, 2.781]; p=0.019). IgMIF positive patients had on average a 1.24 steps higher MSSS compared with those without any intrathecal Ig synthesis (estimate: 1.243 [CI 0.501,1.986], p<0.01), followed by patients with OCGB and quantitative production of IgGIF (estimate: 0.966 [CI 0.283, 1.650], p<0.01) and patients with only OCGB (estimate: 0.716 [CI -0.030, 1.461], p=0.060). Accordingly, patients with IgMIF production had a shorter interval to initiation of high efficacy DMT (HR 2.788 [CI 1.306, 5.951], p<0.01). Quantitatively, above versus below median IgMIF was associated with a 2.36-fold risk of escalation to a high efficacy DMT (HR 2.361 [CI 1.304, 4.277]; p<0.01).

Conclusions

In relapsing MS, presence of intrathecally produced IgM is associated with higher disease activity, more severe disease course and earlier use of high efficacy treatments. Intrathecally produced IgM may qualify as useful prognostic biomarker for therapeutic decision making in early stage of disease.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0097 - Intrathecal immunoglobulin M synthesis is associated with higher serum neurofilament light chain levels and increased MRI disease activity in MS (ID 1089)

Abstract

Background

Intrathecal IgM synthesis was reported to be associated with higher clinical disease activity and severity. We found an association also with earlier use of high efficacy treatments in relapsing MS (RMS).

Objectives

To explore whether patients with intrathecal IgM synthesis show a) higher serum neurofilament light chain levels (sNfL) as a reflection of neuronal damage, or b) signs of increased disease severity in cerebral MRI, in patients with RMS followed in the Swiss MS Cohort Study.

Methods

487 patients were categorized by presence of oligoclonal IgG bands (OCGB) and intrathecally produced IgG/M:

1) OCGB-/IgG-/IgM- (reference [ref]);

2) OCGB+/IgG-/IgM-;

3) OCGB+/IgG+/IgM- and

4) OCGB+/IgG+/IgM+.

sNfL was measured (at baseline and every 6- or 12 months) with the NF-light® assay. Age-dependent sNfL z-scores (sNfLz) were modelled in 8865 healthy control samples to reflect the deviation of a patient sNfL value compared to mean values observed in same age healthy controls. Yearly T2 lesion number and occurrence of new/enlarging T2 lesions were automatically assessed in cerebral MRIs and checked manually. Contrast enhancing lesions (CEL) were manually quantified. Linear or negative binomial mixed models were used to investigate the associations between the four CSF Ig patterns and longitudinal sNfLz and MRI measures, adjusted for DMT and other covariates.

Results

IgM+ patients had higher sNfLz vs reference (estimate 0.50 [CI 0.12, 0.89], p=0.011), whereas those with only OCGB+ (0.11 [-0.28, 0.50], p=0.582) or with OCGB+/IgG+ (0.20 [-0.16, 0.56], p=0.270) did not (n=2970 observations). This was confirmed when analyzing only untreated patients adjusting for T2 and CEL numbers (1.16 [0.47, 1.86], p<0.01 vs 0.58 [-0.11, 1.27], p=0.1022 vs 0.51 [-0.11, 1.13], p=0.108 vs ref, respectively) (n=234).

IgM+ patients had 2.28-fold more T2 lesions ([1.51, 3.44], p<0.01) vs ref; for patients with only OCGB+ (1.61 [1.07, 2.43], p=0.0237) or OCGB+/IgG+ (1.58 [CI 1.08, 2.32], p=0.0179) (n=1580) this association was weaker.

IgM+ was associated with a 2.47-fold risk for new/enlarging T2 lesions on yearly follow-up MRIs vs ref (2.47 [1.28, 4.78], p<0.01) but not the two other patient groups (1.84 [CI 0.93; 3.65], p=0.0799 and 1.61 [CI 0.87; 2.95], p=0.1280) (n=861).

Conclusions

Intrathecal IgM synthesis was consistently associated with quantitative measures of neuro-axonal injury and disease severity in RMS. Our findings strongly support the clinical utiliy of this biomarker.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0118 - Neurofilament light chain concentration predicts risk of relapse in participants with relapsing multiple sclerosis in phase 3 ozanimod trials (ID 1211)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0118
Presentation Topic
Biomarkers and Bioinformatics

Abstract

Background

In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), neurofilament light chain concentration (NfL-c) is increased in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Plasma and CSF NfL-c correlate and may serve as a biomarker for neurologic damage and disease activity in relapsing MS (RMS). Ozanimod, a sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 and 5 modulator, reduced annualized relapse rate (ARR) and plasma NfL-c (pNfL-c) vs interferon β-1a (IFN) in phase 3 RMS trials.

Objectives

To expand upon previously reported data showing that baseline (BL) pNfL-c predicts risk of on-treatment relapse, we analyzed the relationship between changes in pNfL-c and on-treatment risk of relapse with ozanimod vs IFN.

Methods

In this exploratory, post hoc analysis, pNfL-c was measured at BL and after 12 and 24 months of treatment with oral ozanimod 0.46 or 0.92 mg/d or intramuscular IFN β-1a 30 µg/wk in the phase 3 SUNBEAM (NCT02294058; ≥12 mo) and RADIANCE (NCT02047734; 24 mo) trials. The effect of treatment on pNfL-c was assessed, as were the relationships between BL pNfL-c and relapse rate and pNfL-c change from BL and ARR. NfL data are reported as median percentage change from BL. Poisson generalized linear models were used to fit the number of relapses as a function of BL pNfL-c and treatment group with an offset for duration. We calculated a predictive model of expected ARR based on median percentage change from BL in pNfL-c.

Results

At end of treatment, median pNfL-c was significantly reduced from BL by 20‒23% (P<0.01) and 23‒27% (P≤0.0001) with ozanimod 0.46 and 0.92 mg, respectively, and by 13‒15% with IFN. Higher BL p-NfL-c was associated with an increase in number of relapses (P<0.0001). Over a 12-month period, participants treated with either dose of ozanimod had significantly fewer relapses than those treated with IFN (P<0.05); the greatest effect was observed with ozanimod 0.92 mg. Further analyses reveal that treatment groups associated with a greater median reduction from BL pNfL-c are also associated with lower ARR. Predictive modeling estimated that a 25% reduction in pNfL-c, similar to that observed with ozanimod 0.92 mg, predicts an ARR (standard error [SE]) of 0.18‒0.23 (0.4); a 13% reduction, which was similar to that observed with IFN, predicts an ARR (SE) of 0.29‒0.37 (0.04).

Conclusions

Our findings further support pNfL-c as a biomarker for RMS disease activity. BL pNfL-c is related to relapse rate, as are changes in pNfL-c during treatment. Ozanimod causes dose-dependent reductions in pNfL-c and ARR compared with IFN.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0132 - Prediction of 15-year MS outcomes in BENEFIT trial patients using serum neurofilament light chain concentrations (ID 1726)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0132
Presentation Topic
Biomarkers and Bioinformatics

Abstract

Background

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels are a promising biomarker for quantifying neuro-axonal injury in multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent studies showed sNfL levels relate to disease activity and treatment response.

Objectives

To analyze the predictive capacity of baseline (BL) sNfL levels for disease outcomes in the 15-year BENEFIT study long-term follow-up

Methods

Monofactorial regression analyses were conducted on outcomes at Year 15, including sNfL age-adjusted percentiles (80th, 90th, 95th, 97.5th and 99th; Disanto et al., 2017).

Further BL covariates included sex; age; lowest EDSS up to Month 6; mono/multifocal onset; presence of optic nerve, brainstem, or spinal cord lesions; Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test 3 (PASAT-3), Timed 25 Foot Walk (T25W), and 9 Hole PEG test (9HPT) scores; number/volume of hypointense T1, gadolinium-enhancing T1, and T2 lesions; cerebral volume; and initial treatment assignment. On-study covariates at Years 1, 2, and 5 were annualized relapse rate; EDSS change; PASAT-3, T25W, and 9HPT scores; annualized rate of new lesions; lesion number/volume; brain volume change; and relative duration of treatment. Covariates with p≤0.1 (at ≥2 time points for on-study covariates) were entered into multifactorial models.

We assessed the predictive capacity of BL sNfL levels for the following outcomes: EDSS ≥4, clinically silent disease, T2 lesion volume, and cerebral volume.

Results

Patients with sNfL values at screening (N=258) above the 90th (n=176), 95th (n=157), 97.5th (n=149), and 99th (n=129) percentiles (adjusted for other relevant covariates) had a significantly higher risk of EDSS≥4 at Year 15 for BL model (odds ratio 2.45 [95% CI: 1.05,5.68] p=0.0376; 2.60 [1.18,5.75] p=0.0181; 2.61 [1.20,5.66] p=0.0154; 2.47 [1.19,5.13] p=0.0150, for the 90th, 95th, 97.5th and 99th percentiles, respectively), and for on-study models at Year 1 (3.86 [1.16,12.78] p=0.0272; 3.38 [1.13,10.14] p=0.0296; 2.92 [1.02,8.35] p=0.0461; 2.98 [1.11,8.00] p=0.0305, respectively) and Year 2 (5.36 [1.26,22.85] p=0.0231; 4.88 [1.34,17.77] p=0.0163; 3.86 [1.18,12.66] p=0.0259; 3.34 [1.17,9.48] p=0.0237, respectively). Covariates that remained statistically significant with EDSS≥4 as the endpoint in most percentile models were lowest EDSS value up to Month 6 for BL and Year 1, and change in brain volume at Year 1, 2, and 5.

Conclusions

Findings in this unique long-term BENEFIT study suggest that higher sNfL values in early MS disease stages are independent predictors of long-term disability.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0154 - Serum Neurofilament light chain captures and predicts disability progression independent of relapses (PIRA) in multiple sclerosis (ID 809)

Abstract

Background

In relapsing MS, blood NfL has emerged as a promising biomarker of disease activity and worsening. The ability of serum NfL (sNfL) to detect relapse-independent disability progression is less well established.

Objectives

We investigated whether patients followed in the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Cohort (SMSC) without any relapses during follow-up, had higher sNfL levels when experiencing confirmed disability progression independent of relapses (PIRA) as compared to stable patients. Secondly, we explored whether baseline (BL) sNfL could predict PIRA.

Methods

BL and 6- or 12-monthly follow-up sNfL were measured by Simoa NF-light® assay in 4608 samples from 806 relapse-free MS patients and 8865 serum samples from 4133 healthy controls (median age 45 yrs). Age-dependent sNfL z-scores (sNfLz) were modeled in healthy controls using a generalised additive model for location scale and shape to reflect the deviation of a patient sNfL value from the mean value of same age healthy controls. PIRA was defined as an EDSS increase of ≥1.5 steps if baseline EDSS 0, ≥1.0 if 1.0-5.5, or ≥0.5 if >5.5, confirmed after ≥6 months. We used mixed effects models to investigate the association between PIRA, clinical parameters, disease modifying treatment, and log(sNfL) as dependent variable at each sampling. The predictive value of BL sNfLz was investigated by uni- and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

806 (4608 samples) of 1399 patients in the SMSC did not experience relapses during a median follow-up of 4.7 years (57.6%; BL: 715 RRMS, 43 SPMS, 48 PPMS; median age 42 yrs; samples/patient: 5; EDSS 2.0). PIRA occurred in 153/806 (19.0%). In a multivariable model, sNfL was positively associated with age (1.7%/year [95%CI 1.5;2.0], p<0.001) and EDSS at BL (7.6%/step, [5.8;9.6], p<0.001), whereas it was decreased when sampled during monoclonal antibody therapy (-10.8%, [-14.7;-6.6], p<0.001) or oral MS treatments (-10.4%, [-14.1;-6.5%], p<0.001) as compared to untreated timepoints. Importantly, patients experiencing PIRA had 11.6% higher sNfL levels, compared with stable patients (4.5;19.2, p=0.001). The hazard of future PIRA increased by 23.5% (8.3;40.8, p=0.002) per 1 standard deviation higher BL sNfLz. This finding was confirmed after adjusting for age, EDSS score and treatment at BL (27.8%, [11.5;46.5], p<0.001; sNfLz > 2: 2.5-fold risk [95%CI 1.7-3.9], p<0.001 for PIRA event vs. sNfLz < 2).

Conclusions

Our data support the value of sNfL to capture and predict neuro-axonal injury leading to disability progression independent from relapses.

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Biomarkers and Bioinformatics Poster Presentation

P0160 - Serum NfL z-scores derived from a large healthy control group reflect different levels of treatment effect in a real-world setting (ID 916)

Abstract

Background

Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels reflect neuroaxonal damage and relate to disease activity in MS. sNfL may qualify as well as a biomarker of suboptimal treatment response to disease modifying therapies (DMT). Establishment of age-dependent reference ranges in healthy controls is a prerequisite for developing this biomarker for clinical use.

Objectives

To compare on-treatment sNfL levels with values from a healthy control cohort and to investigate the effect of DMTs on sNfL levels in patients from the Swiss MS Cohort Study.

Methods

sNfL was measured (at baseline and every 6- or 12 months) with the NF-light® assay. Age-dependent sNfL z-scores (sNfLz) were modeled in healthy controls using a generalized additive model for location scale and shape to reflect the deviation of a patient sNfL value from the mean value of same age healthy controls. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the associations between clinical characteristics, DMT and longitudinal sNfLz. Interaction terms and splines were used to model sNfLz and for comparison log(NfL), and their dynamics under treatment.

Results

sNfL was measured in 1368 patients with 7550 longitudinal samples (baseline: median age: 41.9 yrs; 5.4% CIS, 83.2% RRMS, 5.6% SPMS, 5.8% PPMS; median EDSS: 2.0; median follow-up: 4.6 yrs) and 4133 healthy controls with 8865 samples (median age: 44.8 yrs). In the multivariable model, sNfLz increased with EDSS (0.131/step, [95% CI 0.101;0.161]), recent (<120 days) relapse (0.739 [0.643;0.835]) decreased with age (-0.014/year [-0.02;-0.009]), and time on DMT (-0.040/year [-0.054;-0.027]); sNfLz were lower when sampled while on more effective DMT (oral versus platform injectables: -0.229 [-0.344;-0.144]; monoclonal antibodies (mAB) versus platform injectables: -0.349 [-0.475;-0.224]), (p<0.001 for all associations). sNfLz were inversely associated with the hierarchy in efficacy of mAB over orals and orals over platform therapies with regard to slope and extent of decrease (interaction between time under DMT and DMT class: p<0.001). sNfLz, but not log(NfL) showed normalization of sNfL levels by mAB to healthy control levels.

Conclusions

The dynamic change of sNfLz on DMT reflects closely their relative clinical efficacy and is more meaningful than log(sNfL) by excluding age as a confounding factor. Use of sNfLz based on a large normative database as an age-independent sNfL measure improves the accuracy of the sNfL signal and hence their clinical utility.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0192 - Benefit-risk of ofatumumab in treatment-naïve early relapsing multiple sclerosis patients (ID 1601)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0192
Presentation Topic
Clinical Trials

Abstract

Background

Ofatumumab, a fully human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody with a monthly 20 mg s.c. dosing regimen, demonstrated superior efficacy vs teriflunomide and a favorable safety profile in the Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) trials.

Objectives

To evaluate the benefit-risk profile of ofatumumab treatment in patients with early RMS in the Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II trials.

Methods

Key efficacy and safety outcomes were assessed in the subgroup of 615 newly diagnosed (within 3 years before screening), treatment-naïve (no prior disease-modifying therapy [DMT] use) patients who received ofatumumab or teriflunomide as a first-line therapy in ASCLEPIOS I/II trials (32.7% of the total 1882 patients).

Results

Baseline characteristics of the newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve subgroup were typical of early MS patients (median age and MS duration since diagnosis (years) were 36 and 0.35, respectively). Compared to patients on teriflunomide, ofatumumab reduced ARR by 50.3% (0.09 vs 0.18; p<0.001), 3mCDW risk by 38% (10.1% vs 12.8%; p=0.065), 6mCDW risk by 46% (5.9% vs 10.4%; p=0.044), gadolinium-enhancing T1 lesions/scan by 95.4% (0.02 vs 0.39: p<0.001), and new/enlarging T2 lesions/year by 82.0% (0.86 vs 4.78, p<0.001). Treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) occurred in 84.7% ofatumumab vs 86.0% teriflunomide-treated patients; serious AEs were reported in 7.0% and 5.3%, respectively. No cases of malignancies were reported in this newly diagnosed subgroup, randomized to either drug. Infection rates were comparable between ofatumumab (56.1%) and teriflunomide (56.5%); serious infections rates were 1.9% and 0.7%, respectively, and no opportunistic infections were reported. Systemic injection reactions were only imbalanced between ofatumumab and teriflunomide (with placebo injections) at the first injection given at the study site, and 99.8% of injection reactions were mild-to-moderate in this subgroup; after the 4th injection, >70% RMS patients self-injected at home. Compliance of all patients with ofatumumab was high (98.8%).

Conclusions

Ofatumumab is the first high efficacy DMT that can be self-administered at home, as demonstrated in Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II trials. Ofatumumab showed superior efficacy vs teriflunomide in newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients with low absolute relapse rates, very low MRI lesion activity and prolonged time to disability worsening, consistent with the overall study population.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0194 - Cardiac Safety of Ponesimod in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis in the Randomized, Active-Controlled, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Phase 3 OPTIMUM Study (ID 565)

Abstract

Background

Ponesimod (PON) is a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 modulator. Activation of these receptors on cardiomyocytes during treatment initiation cause transient effects on heart rate (HR) and antrioventicular (AV) conduction. The OPTIMUM phase 3 study assessed efficacy, safety, and tolerability of PON and teriflunomide (TER) in relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Objectives

We report on the cardiac safety profile of ponesimod versus teriflunomide in the phase 3 OPTIMUM study (NCT02425644).

Methods

Patients (18-55 years) were randomized 1:1 to PON (20 mg) or TER (14 mg) for 108 weeks. For PON, a gradual 14-day up-titration starting with 2 mg was implemented to address 1st-dose cardiac effects. Cardiac safety was assessed by blood pressure (BP) and 12-lead ECG measurements. Cardiac treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (MACE; defined as CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction [MI], and non-fatal stroke), and TEAEs of special interest (AESIs) are reported.

Results

Of 1131 patients who received treatment (PON: n=565, TER: n=566), baseline mean HR was 70.6 bpm (PON), 70.3 bpm (TER), range 45-126 bmp. Cardiac TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 1 (0.2%) patient on PON (cardiomyopathy) and 2 (0.4%) patients on TER (1 atrial fibrillation, 1 coronary artery insufficiency). No MACE were reported on PON; 3 MACE occurred on TER. HR and rhythm AESIs were reported in 29 (5.1%) PON patients vs. 24 (4.2%) TER patients. Incidence of HR and rhythm AESIs on Day 1 in the PON group (2 mg) was 2.1%, and included bradycardia (HR<50bpm) in 0.7% and 1st degree AV block in 0.5%; vs. 0.4% in TER. Max mean reduction in HR from pre- to post-dose on Day 1 was observed at 2h post-dose for PON at -8.7bpm compared with -1.7bpm for TER. On Day 1, 3 patients on PON had post-dose asymptomatic HR≤40bpm, all had pre-treatment HR<55bpm. On Day 1, new ECG findings of sinus bradycardia was 20.0% in patients at risk for symptomatic bradyarrhythmia, compared to 3.0% (all asymptomatic) in patients who were not at-risk. The up-titration was not associated with clinically significant bradyarrhythmia events; none were serious or leading to discontinuation of treatment, no 2nd degree or higher AV blocks were reported.

Conclusions

In the 2-year OPTIMUM study, PON treatment was not associated with an increased risk for major CV events such as MI, stroke, or CV death compared to TER. The up-titration regimen successfully mitigates 1st-dose effects and supports removing the requirement for 1st-dose cardiac monitoring in patients without risk factors of symptomatic bradycardia.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0204 - Effect on disability measures and MSFC in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis from the phase 3 ponesimod versus teriflunomide optimum study (ID 1667)

Abstract

Background

OPTIMUM was a multicenter, double-blind, active-comparator phase 3 superiority trial that assessed efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ponesimod 20 mg (PON) vs teriflunomide 14 mg (TER) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The primary endpoint of annualized relapse rate was met demonstrating PON’s superiority vs TER.

Objectives

To assess treatment effect on disability progression using time to worsening of timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test [PASAT-3] , Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and composites of these endpoints.

Methods

OPTIMUM enrolled patients with RMS (EDSS:0-5.5), randomized (1:1) to daily PON or TER for 108 weeks. Change in MS functional composite (MSFC) Z-score (mean of T25FW, 9HPT, PASAT-3 Z-scores), and SDMT from baseline to Week 108 was assessed using Mixed-Effect Model Repeated Measures. Analyses of time to first confirmed (12-week) disability event were conducted post-hoc; disability was defined as 4-point worsening in SDMT, 20% worsening in T25FW or 9HPT, in addition to EDSS (as defined for the secondary endpoint).

Results

Of 1133 patients (PON=567, TER=566), 86.9% completed study. Changes from baseline in overall MSFC Z‑score: 0.02 PON vs −0.039 TER (mean difference, 0.059; p=0.047); for the 3 individual components of MSFC Z-score, mean differences (p-values) were: T25FW, 0.20 sec (p=0.37); 9HPT, –0.93 sec (p<0.0001); PASAT-3, 0.55 number correct (p=0.16). The PON vs TER worsening events up to EOS were, respectively: confirmed 20% worsening in T25FW, 9.2% vs 13.1% (hazard ratio [HR]:0.70; p=0.045); 4-point worsening in SDMT, 22.1% vs 26.4% (HR:0.82; p=0.12)], composite EDSS/SDMT, 26.3% vs 32.7% (HR:0.80; p=0.045)]; composite EDSS/9HPT/T25FW, 18.2% vs 24.0% (HR:0.76; p=0.035); numerical differences in favour of PON in time to confirmed worsening in 9HPT and SDMT assessed individually were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Measures of worsening of impairment and disability in this exploratory analysis indicated benefits for PON vs TER. Composite endpoints provide more power to statistical assessments owing to greater number of events analyzed, making them particularly useful in RMS trials.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0211 - Examination of fenebrutinib, a highly selective BTKi, on disease progression of multiple sclerosis (ID 1225)

Abstract

Background

Preventing multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression is critical in preserving function and quality of life. Fenebrutinib is a potent, highly selective Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor with a dual mechanism of action. Fenebrutinib targets acute and chronic aspects of MS by decreasing B-cell activation and limiting myeloid proinflammatory responses. This profile and studies of fenebrutinib in patients with other inflammatory diseases suggest a potentially favorable benefit-risk ratio, although there are no studies yet in patients with MS.

Objectives

To describe the unique design aspects of the Phase III fenebrutinib clinical trial program as they relate to understanding disease progression across the MS spectrum.

Methods

We developed a Phase III program that will assess disease progression in two identical clinical trials in relapsing MS (RMS) and one trial in primary progressive MS (PPMS).

Results

To understand the effects of fenebrutinib on disease progression, all three trials include 12-week composite Confirmed Disability Progression (cCDP12) as a primary endpoint; the RMS trials also include annualized relapse rate as a co-primary endpoint. The cCDP12 requires at least one of the following: (1) an increase in Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) score of ≥1.0 point from a baseline (BL) score of ≤5.5 points, or a ≥0.5 point increase from a BL score of >5.5 points; (2) a 20% increase from BL in time to complete the 9-Hole Peg Test; (3) a 20% increase from BL in the Timed 25-Foot Walk Test. The cCDP12 is a more sensitive assessment of disability than the EDSS, especially at early disease stages, as it provides a quantitative assessment of upper limb function. Comparator arms will include active disease-modifying treatments with known effects on disability progression (PPMS=ocrelizumab; RMS=teriflunomide). Treatment assignments will be 1:1, with estimated enrollment of 734 patients in each of the RMS trials and 946 in the PPMS trial. Study durations will be event driven, with the primary analysis occurring after a prespecified number of cCDP12 events (≥96 or ≥120 weeks in the RMS and PPMS trials, respectively).

Conclusions

Fenebrutinib will be investigated in RMS and PPMS and may offer a unique approach to slowing disease progression in MS. Furthermore, the use of the cCDP12 as a primary endpoint may provide a clearer, more complete picture of disability progression or improvement than the EDSS alone.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0216 - Long-term reduction of relapse rate and 48-week confirmed disability progression after 6.5 years of ocrelizumab treatment in patients with RMS (ID 844)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0216
Presentation Topic
Clinical Trials

Abstract

Background

The efficacy and safety of ocrelizumab (OCR) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) were demonstrated in the 96-week controlled double-blind period (DBP) of the Phase III OPERA I (NCT01247324) and OPERA II (NCT01412333) trials.

Objectives

To assess the efficacy of switching from interferon (IFN) β-1a or maintaining OCR therapy on disease activity and confirmed disability progression (CDP) after 4.5 years of follow-up, in the open-label extension (OLE) of OPERA I and OPERA II.

Methods

In the DBP of OPERA I and OPERA II, patients were randomized to receive OCR or IFN β-1a. Patients completing the DBP either continued OCR (OCR-OCR) or switched from IFN β-1a to OCR (IFN-OCR) when entering the OLE period. Adjusted annualized relapse rate (ARR), time to onset of 48-week CDP (CDP48) and time to 48-week confirmed Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≥6.0 (time to require a walking aid) were analyzed up to Week 336.

Results

Overall, 79.2% of patients who entered the OLE period completed OLE Year 4.5. Adjusted ARR decreased year-on-year from the pre-switch year to OLE Year 4.5 in IFN-OCR switchers (pre-switch, 0.20; OLE Year 4.5, 0.06) and was maintained at low levels in OCR-OCR continuers (pre-switch, 0.12; OLE Year 4.5, 0.04). The rates of CDP48 were lower in OCR-OCR continuers vs IFN-OCR switchers at the end of the DBP (4.1% vs 8.5%; p<0.001) and at OLE Year 4.5 (16.0% vs 20.3%; p=0.05). The rates of patients requiring a walking aid were lower in OCR-OCR continuers vs IFN-OCR switchers at the end of the DBP (0.8% vs 3.1%; p=0.001) and at OLE Year 4.5 (5.1% vs 8.3%; p=0.024). Over the DBP and OLE periods, the risk of CDP48 was 28% lower (HR [95%CI]: 0.72 [0.56–0.93]; p=0.01) and the risk of requiring a walking aid was 46% lower (HR [95%CI]: 0.54 [0.35–0.83];p=0.004) in OCR-OCR continuers vs IFN-OCR switchers. The safety profile in the OLE was generally consistent with the DBP.

Conclusions

Switching from IFN β-1a to ocrelizumab at the start of the OLE period was associated with a rapid and robust reduction in ARR that was maintained through the 4.5-year follow-up of the OLE period. Compared with patients switching to ocrelizumab at the OLE, patients initiating ocrelizumab 2 years earlier accrued significant benefits on CDP48 and time to require a walking aid that were maintained vs the switch group through the 4.5 years of the OLE period.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0217 - Long-term safety and efficacy of ozanimod in relapsing multiple sclerosis in DAYBREAK: an open-label extension study of ozanimod phase 1−3 trials (ID 991)

Abstract

Background

Ozanimod, an oral sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 and 5 modulator, is approved in the US and EU for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS).

Objectives

To characterize the long-term safety and efficacy of ozanimod in participants with RMS in an ongoing open-label extension (OLE) trial.

Methods

Participants with RMS who completed a phase 1, 2, or 3 ozanimod clinical trial were eligible to enroll in DAYBREAK (NCT02576717), where they received ozanimod 0.92 mg/d (equivalent to ozanimod HCl 1 mg). The primary objective was to evaluate safety in the overall population; treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE) were monitored. Efficacy was evaluated with annualized relapse rate (ARR), calculated via negative binomial regression and pooled for all parent-trial treatment groups. Number of new/enlarging T2 and gadolinium-enhancing (GdE) MRI brain lesions were reported for the subset of participants who entered the OLE from an active-controlled phase 3 trial.

Results

In total, 2639 participants completed the parent trials; this interim analysis (data cut 20 December 2019) included 2494 participants with mean (range) ozanimod exposure of 35.4 (0.03–50.2) months in the OLE. Adjusted ARR in the OLE was 0.112 (95% confidence interval, 0.093‒0.135). At months 24 and 36, 79% and 75% of participants, respectively, were relapse free in the OLE. Three- and 6-month confirmed disability progression was observed in 10.8% and 8.6% of participants in the OLE, respectively. Mean number of new/enlarging T2 lesions per scan at 24 months was similar, regardless of parent-trial treatment group (range, 1.57–1.90), as were mean number of GdE lesions at month 24 (range, 0.2 ‒0.4). In the OLE, 2039 participants (81.8%) had any TEAE, 236 (9.5%) had a serious TEAE (SAE), and 56 (2.2%) discontinued due to a TEAE. Similar rates of TEAEs and SAEs occurred when assessed by parent-trial treatment group. The most common TEAEs were nasopharyngitis (17.9%), headache (14%), upper respiratory tract infection (9.9%), and lymphopenia (9.6%). TEAEs were generally similar to parent trial observations. There were no serious opportunistic infections. Exposure-adjusted incidence rates of TEAEs and SAEs have decreased over time.

Conclusions

In DAYBREAK, ozanimod was associated with low ARR and low new/enlarging T2 and GdE lesion counts over time. Most participants were relapse free and did not experience disability progression. Ozanimod was generally well tolerated and no new safety concerns emerged with long-term use.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0230 - Rationale and design of two Phase IIIb studies of ocrelizumab at higher than the approved dose in patients with RMS and PPMS (ID 971)

Abstract

Background

Ocrelizumab (OCR) is approved for the treatment of relapsing (RMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) at a dose of 600 mg iv twice yearly and showed significant benefit on disability progression (DP). Exposure-response (ER) analyses of the pivotal OCR Phase III studies in patients with RMS or PPMS showed that those with higher exposures (based on individual mean serum concentration [Cmean] exposure quartiles) had a greater benefit on DP vs patients with lower exposure, without an increase in adverse events. While doses of OCR of 1000–2000 mg were studied in a Phase II study, doses >600 mg have not been investigated in Phase III studies in RMS or PPMS patients.

Objectives

To present the OCR higher dose selection rationale and design of two double-blind, parallel-group, randomized Phase IIIb studies (one in RMS and one in PPMS) aiming to explore if a higher dose of OCR will provide even higher benefits vs 600 mg on DP without adversely affecting the established favorable benefit-risk profile.

Methods

The higher dose of OCR in both studies is based on achieving a Cmean of at least that observed in the highest exposure quartile of the Phase III ER analyses while limiting Cmean below that observed with the highest OCR dose of 2000 mg in the Phase II study that had a similar safety profile, except for a slightly higher incidence of infusion-related reactions (pre-medication: methylprednisolone only; no mandatory antihistamine).

Results

Modeling predicts that doses of 1200 mg (patients <75kg) or 1800 mg (patients ≥75kg) twice yearly would fulfill these criteria. Based on data from the pivotal trials, the expected risk reduction vs 600 mg in 12-week composite confirmed DP (cCDP; consisting of time to progression measured by the EDSS, Timed 25-Foot Walk or 9-Hole Peg Test) would be ≥35% in RMS and ≥27% in PPMS. Patients with RMS (EDSS score 0–5.5; N=786) or PPMS (EDSS score ≥3.0–6.5; N=699) will be randomized (2:1) to either the higher dose (above) or OCR 600 mg administered every 24 weeks (first dose divided into 2 infusions separated by 14 days) for ≥120 weeks (minimum 5 doses).

The primary outcome for both trials is risk reduction on cCDP. Immunoglobulin and oligoclonal bands in the CSF will be assessed in a sub-study of up to 288 patients.

Conclusions

These studies will test if higher-dose ocrelizumab provides an even higher benefit on cCDP vs the approved 600 mg dose without adversely affecting the established favorable benefit-risk profile.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0234 - Safety experience with extended exposure to ofatumumab in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis from Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials (ID 1638)

Abstract

Background

Ofatumumab, a fully human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, demonstrated superior efficacy versus teriflunomide in Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) trials. Long-term data to assess the safety and benefit-risk profile of ofatumumab 20 mg per month is required.

Objectives

To report the overall safety data of all patients treated with subcutaneous (s.c.) ofatumumab 20 mg for RMS, including patients who continued treatment and those who were newly switched in the ongoing open-label Phase 3b ALITHIOS study.

Methods

The overall safety population was divided into 2 groups 1) Continuous: Patients randomized to ofatumumab in the core Phase 2 APLIOS (12 weeks) or Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II (up to 30 months) trials and continued in ALITHIOS, or completed core study and continued with the safety follow-up, and 2) Newly-switched: Patients randomized to teriflunomide in ASCLEPIOS I/II and switched to ofatumumab in ALITHIOS. All adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs) and deaths up to and including the safety cut-off of 100 days after last administration of ofatumumab are included in this safety analysis until 30 November 2019.

Results

A total of 1873 patients (continuous: 1230; newly-switched: 643) were exposed to ofatumumab ([median duration] continuous: 21.0 months; newly-switched: 4.4 months) for 2118.6 patient-years (continuous: 1903 patient-years; newly-switched: 215.6 patient-years). 71.4% of patients (continuous: 82%; newly-switched: 51%) experienced at least one AE; most were mild-to-moderate. AEs led to ofatumumab discontinuation in 3.0% of patients. SAEs were observed in 6.2% of patients. Incidence of infections was 38.5% (continuous: 49.3%, newly-switched: 18.0%). Serious infections occurred in 1.8% of patients. Incidence of injection-related reactions (IRRs) was 23.7% (continuous: 24.9%; newly-switched: 21.3%); most IRRs were non-serious, grade 1 or 2 and none led to ofatumumab discontinuation. Hepatitis B reactivation, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy or deaths have not been reported. No cases of opportunistic infections have been identified. Incidence of malignancies was 0.3% (with confounding) and no new cases have been reported in either continuous or newly-switched patients as of the data cut-off time.

Conclusions

No new safety signals were identified in this extended analysis. The safety profile of ofatumumab in RMS patients remains consistent with data reported in the core studies, including the ASCLEPIOS I/II trials.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0236 - Serum immunoglobulin levels and infection risk in the Phase 3 trials of ofatumumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis (ID 1566)

Abstract

Background

Ofatumumab, a fully human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, demonstrated superior efficacy vs teriflunomide with a favorable safety profile in relapsing MS (RMS) patients in the Phase 3 ASCLEPIOS I/II trials. Reductions in serum immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG levels are associated with anti-CD20 therapies.

Objectives

To assess the effect of ofatumumab on serum Ig levels and evaluate potential association between a decrease in IgM/IgG levels and risk of infections.

Methods

Patients were randomized to receive subcutaneous ofatumumab 20 mg (initial doses: Days 1, 7, and 14; subsequent doses: every 4 weeks from Week (W) 4 onwards) or oral teriflunomide 14 mg once-daily for up to 30 months (m, mean follow-up duration: 18m). Serum IgM/IgG levels were monitored at baseline (BL), W4, W12, and every 12 weeks thereafter (ofatumumab, n=946; teriflunomide, n=936). Proportion of patients with IgM/IgG levels below the lower limit of normal (<LLN [g/L]: IgM, 0.4; IgG, 7.0), and association of IgM/IgG levels with incidence of infections that occurred up to 1m prior and 1m after any decrease in IgM/IgG levels (<LLN vs ≥LLN) were analyzed. Infections in conjunction with IgM/IgG <LLN and lymphopenia and/or neutropenia on the same visit were also analyzed.

Results

Mean IgM/IgG levels were well within reference ranges over time. Over all post-BL visits, a higher proportion of patients on ofatumumab had IgM<LLN (17.7% vs 6.6%), whilst a lower proportion had IgG<LLN (14.2% vs 22.9%) vs patients on teriflunomide. At W96, a similar trend was observed (IgM<LLN: 11.1% vs 1.9%; IgG<LLN: 2.7% vs 6.0%). Proportion of patients on ofatumumab who experienced ≥1 infection within 1m prior and until 1m after IgM<LLN was 31.1% (52/167; 2 serious) vs 51.5% (400/777) with IgM≥LLN (18 serious). Similarly, 27.6% (37/134) reported infections during a drop in IgG<LLN (3 serious) vs 50.6% (410/810) with IgG≥LLN (21 serious). The most common infection was nasopharyngitis. Overall, 1/11 patients with concurrent IgM<LLN and lymphopenia and/or neutropenia, and 7/20 patients with concurrent IgG<LLN and lymphopenia and/or neutropenia reported infections; none were serious.

Conclusions

Reduction in serum IgM levels was observed over time, but for the majority of patients, Ig levels remained above the lower limit of normal. No decrease in IgG levels was reported within the observation period (mean follow-up: 18m). There was no apparent association between decreased Ig levels and infections in conjunction with lymphopenia and/or neutropenia in ofatumumab-treated RMS patients.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0237 - Sustained reduction in 48-week confirmed disability progression in patients with PPMS treated with ocrelizumab in the ORATORIO OLE: 7-year follow-up (ID 109)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0237
Presentation Topic
Clinical Trials

Abstract

Background

The efficacy and safety of ocrelizumab (OCR) in primary progressive multiple sclerosis were demonstrated vs placebo (PBO) in the Phase III ORATORIO study (NCT01194570).

Objectives

To assess the efficacy of switching to or maintaining OCR therapy on 48-week confirmed disability progression (CDP), in the open-label extension (OLE) of ORATORIO, over 7 years (360 weeks).

Methods

In the double-blind period (DBP), patients were randomized to OCR or PBO and followed for ≥120 weeks until a prespecified number of CDP events occurred. At DBP completion, patients remained on blinded treatment until the trial outcome was determined (extended controlled period; ECP). At OLE start, patients continued OCR (OCR-OCR) or switched from PBO to OCR (PBO-OCR). Time to 48-week CDP-EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score increase from baseline [BL] of ≥1 point if BL EDSS ≤5.5 or ≥0.5 points if BL EDSS >5.5), time to 48-week CDP on the 9-Hole Peg Test (CDP-9HPT; ≥20% increase from BL in timed 9HPT) and time to 48-week confirmed EDSS≥7 (wheelchair requirement) are presented up to Week 360.

Results

Overall, 72% of patients entered the OLE. At Week 168 (12 weeks after the first patients entered the OLE), the proportion of patients with 48-week CDP-EDSS in the PBO-OCR and OCR-OCR groups was 44.4% vs 30.5% (Δ=13.9%; p<0.001), respectively; at Week 360 the corresponding proportions were 65.7% vs 54.2% (Δ=11.6%; p=0.006). At Week 168, the proportion of patients with 48-week CDP-9HPT in the PBO-OCR and OCR-OCR groups was 27.9% vs 15.8% (Δ=12.1%; p<0.001); at Week 360 the corresponding proportions were 41.6% vs 31.1% (Δ=10.6%; p=0.014), respectively. At Week 168 the proportion of patients with 48-week confirmed EDSS≥7 in the PBO-OCR and OCR-OCR groups was 9.1% vs 4.8% (Δ=4.3%; p=0.054), respectively; at Week 360 the proportions were 21.7% vs 12.3% (Δ=9.4%; p=0.009). During the DBP+ECP+OLE, compared with the PBO-OCR group, continuous OCR treatment reduced the risk of CDP-EDSS by 31% (HR [95% CI]: 0.69 [0.56–0.86]; p<0.001), CDP-9HPT by 34% (HR [95% CI]: 0.66 [0.50–0.87]; p=0.003) and 48-week confirmed EDSS≥7 by 44% (HR [95% CI]: 0.56 [0.37–0.85]; p=0.006). Timed 25-Foot Walk, composite CDP and 24-week CDP will also be presented. The OLE safety profile was consistent with the DBP.

Conclusions

After 7 years, 48-week CDP outcomes favoured those on earlier and continuous OCR treatment. Patients initiating OCR 3–5 years earlier had a significantly reduced risk of requiring a wheelchair vs those switching from PBO.

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Clinical Trials Poster Presentation

P0238 - Sustained reduction of disability and cognitive decline with long-term siponimod treatment in patients with active SPMS: EXPAND data up to 5 years (ID 1471)

Abstract

Background

In the EXPAND Core part, in the subgroup of patients with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (aSPMS: presence of relapses in the 2 years prior to screening and/or ≥1 T1 gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) lesion at baseline), siponimod reduced the risk of 3-/6-month confirmed disability progression on Expanded Disability Status Scale (3m/6mCDP) by 31% and 37%, respectively, and the risk of decline in cognitive processing speed (CPS, 6-month confirmed cognition worsening of ≥4-point on Symbol Digit Modalities Test [6mCCW]) by 27% versus placebo.

Objectives

To assess the long-term efficacy and safety of siponimod in patients with aSPMS in the Core and Extension parts of the EXPAND study.

Methods

In patients with aSPMS who had received ≥1 dose of randomized treatment during Core part, and who entered the Extension (36 month extension data cut-off [6 April 2019]; total study duration ≤5 years), time to 3m/6mCDP, 6mCCW, and annualized relapse rate (ARR) were assessed for the Continuous (siponimod in the Core and Extension) and Switch (placebo in the Core and switched to open-label siponimod in the Core/Extension) groups.

Results

Of the 1651 patients randomized in the EXPAND Core part, 779 were with aSPMS (Continuous group: N=516; Switch group: N=263), of which 582 entered the Extension. The risk of 6mCDP was reduced by 29% (0.71 [0.57‒0.90]; p=0.0044) for the Continuous versus Switch group, corresponding to an about 70% delay in time to 6mCDP across the 25th–40th percentile). Median time to 6mCDP was 48 months for the Switch group and was not reached for the Continuous group. The risk of 6mCCW for the Continuous versus Switch group was reduced by 33% (0.67 [0.53‒0.86]); p=0.0018), corresponding to an about 70% delay in time to 6mCCW across the 25th–30th percentile, median time to 6mCCW (55.5 months) was reached only for the Switch group. In patients without active disease, a nonsignificant trend for reduced risk of disability progression and cognitive worsening was observed for the Continuous vs Switch groups. A significant reduction in ARR for the Continuous versus Switch groups was observed in patients with (0.08 vs 0.12; p=0.0023) or without active disease (0.03 vs 0.08; p<0.0001).

Conclusions

In EXPAND, long-term data analyses in the Continuous versus Switch groups showed that siponimod treatment effects on disability, cognitive processing speed, and relapse outcomes in patients with active SPMS are sustained for up to 5 years, and highlight the value of early treatment initiation.

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Disease Modifying Therapies – Risk Management Poster Presentation

P0389 - Safety of ocrelizumab in multiple sclerosis: updated analysis in patients with relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (ID 952)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0389
Presentation Topic
Disease Modifying Therapies – Risk Management

Abstract

Background

Ongoing safety reporting is crucial to understanding the long-term benefit–risk profile of ocrelizumab in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Safety/efficacy of ocrelizumab have been characterized in Phase II (NCT00676715) and Phase III (NCT01247324; NCT01412333; NCT01194570) trials in patients with relapsing-remitting MS, relapsing MS (RMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS).

Objectives

To report longer-term safety evaluations from ocrelizumab clinical trials and open-label extension (OLE) periods up to January 2020 and selected post-marketing data.

Methods

Safety outcomes are reported for the ocrelizumab all-exposure population in Phase II/III trials and associated OLEs plus ongoing Phase IIIb trials in MS (VELOCE, CHORDS, CASTING, OBOE, ENSEMBLE, LIBERTO and CONSONANCE). The number of post-marketing ocrelizumab-treated patients is based on estimated number of vials sold and US claims data. To account for different exposure lengths, rates per 100 patient years (PY) are presented.

Results

In clinical trials, 5,680 patients with MS received ocrelizumab (18,218 PY of exposure) as of January 2020. Reported rates per 100 PY (95% confidence interval) were: adverse events (AEs), 248 (246–251); infections, 76.2 (74.9–77.4); serious AEs, 7.34 (6.96–7.75); serious infections, 2.01 (1.81–2.23); malignancies, 0.46 (0.37–0.57); and AEs leading to discontinuation, 1.06 (0.92–1.22). As of April 2020, over 158,000 patients with MS have initiated ocrelizumab globally in the post-marketing setting. Data remain generally consistent with those observed in clinical trials.

Conclusions

Reported rates of AEs in the ocrelizumab all-exposure clinical trial population and post-marketing settings remain generally consistent with the controlled treatment period in RMS/PPMS populations. Rates of serious infections and malignancies remain within the range reported for patients with MS in real-world registries. In patients with RMS and PPMS, ocrelizumab demonstrates a consistent and favorable safety profile, and these longer-term data are in accordance with the safety outcomes initially observed during the controlled treatment periods. Regular reporting of longer-term safety data will continue.

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Disease Modifying Therapies – Risk Management Poster Presentation

P0393 - Similar clinical outcomes for natalizumab patients switching to every-6-week dosing versus remaining on every-4-week dosing in real-world practice (ID 679)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0393
Presentation Topic
Disease Modifying Therapies – Risk Management

Abstract

Background

Natalizumab 300 mg every 4 weeks (Q4W) is an effective therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) but is also associated with increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in anti–JC virus seropositive patients. Analysis of the TOUCH Prescribing Program safety database showed that natalizumab extended interval dosing (EID; average dosing interval approximately 6 weeks) is associated with lower risk of PML than Q4W dosing. Previous analysis of TYSABRI Observational Program (TOP) data showed no difference in relapse outcomes for patients on Q4W and every-6-week (Q6W) dosing. Comparative disability outcome data in well-matched real-world populations are lacking.

Objectives

Compare relapse and disability outcomes in propensity-score (PS)–matched TOP patients who switched to Q6W dosing with outcomes in patients who remained on Q4W dosing.

Methods

Intentional dosing data collected in TOP as of November 2019 were used to identify patients with ≥1 year of Q4W dosing who remained on Q4W or switched to Q6W dosing. Patients with dosing intervals ≥12 weeks or <3 weeks were excluded. Patients with similar exposures were PS-matched 1:1 with age, sex, Expanded Disability Status Scale score, time from MS onset, exposure duration, and relapse activity as covariates. Between-group comparisons were made for the post-switch follow-up period for Q6W patients and the matching time period for Q4W patients. Adjusted relapse rates (ARRs) were calculated using negative binomial regression with robust standard error estimation. Hazard ratios (HRs) for time to first relapse and 24-week confirmed disability worsening (CDW) were estimated with Kaplan-Meier and Cox methods.

Results

The analysis included 236 matched pairs of Q6W and Q4W patients. Mean (SD) follow-up times for Q6W and Q4W patients were 2.00 (1.30) and 1.89 (1.15) years, respectively. ARRs (0.146 vs 0.139; P=0.796), time to first relapse (HR [95% CI] 1.078 [0.723–1.608]; P=0.711), and time to CDW (HR [95% CI] 0.749 [0.270–2.074]; P=0.578) did not differ significantly for Q6W and Q4W patients.

Conclusions

Relapse and disability outcomes in TOP were similar for PS-matched patients who switched to Q6W or remained on Q4W dosing. These results are consistent with prior matched and unmatched analyses in real-world settings and underscore the need for the ongoing, prospective, randomized efficacy trial of natalizumab Q6W vs Q4W dosing (NOVA, clinicaltrials.gov NCT03689972).

The TOP study was supported by Biogen.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0534 - Advanced magnetic resonance imaging for myelin and axonal density in MS: correlation with clinical disability and serum neurofilament levels (ID 1781)

Abstract

Background

Myelin water imaging (MWI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) provide sensitive surrogate markers of myelin and axonal content in lesions and normal-appearing tissue. However, to date, there is scarce information about the relationship of these measures with (i) disability; and (ii) the axonal damage specific biomarker serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL).

Objectives

To explore the correlation of MWI and NODDI measures in MS lesions and in normal-appearing (NA) brain tissue with disability and sNfL.

Methods

Ninety-one MS patients (62 relapsing-remitting MS-RRMS and 29 progressive MS-PMS) underwent MWI and NODDI. Mean myelin water fraction (MWF) and neurite density index (NDI) were extracted in white matter lesions (WMLs), cortical lesions (CLs), NA white matter (NAWM) and cortical NA gray matter (CNAGM). For sNfL, a logarithmic transformation was applied to comply with normality assumption. Correlation studies between MRI measures, sNfL and EDSS were performed using linear models, with age and gender as covariates. The models were performed for the whole sample and for patients with clinical deficits only (EDSS >1).

Results

MWF and NDI did not correlate with EDSS when the entire cohort was considered (P>0.05). However, for those patients with clinical deficits (EDSS> 1), NDI in WMLs was associated with EDSS (NDI: P<0.01, beta=-10.00; N=74). We also found that MWF and NDI in WMLs were related to sNfL (MWF: P<0.01, beta=0.13; NDI: P<0.01, beta=-3.60). Again, this correlation was stronger in patients with EDSS>1 (MWF: P<0.01, beta=0.13; NDI: P <0.01, beta=-3.60).

Conclusions

Imaging surrogate markers of myelin and axon pathology in WML – and not in CLs and NA tissues - are correlated with disability and sNfL. Interestingly, associations between those imaging markers and disability/sNFL were more evident in patients with clinical deficits as compared to those without neurological deficits.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0538 - Applying advanced diffusion MRI in MS: a comparison of 20 diffusion MRI models to identify microstructural features of focal damage (ID 1338)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0538
Presentation Topic
Imaging

Abstract

Background

Advanced diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) sequences, in combination with biophysical models, provide unprecedented information on the microstructural properties of both healthy and pathological brain tissue.

Nevertheless, it is nowadays challenging to identify the most accurate biophysical model to describe focal microstructural pathology in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, due to the lack of appropriate comparative studies.

Objectives

To investigate the specificity and sensitivity of 124 independent features derived from 20 diffusion microstructural models to differentiate specific features of tissue alterations in white matter (WM) lesions compared to the surrounding normal-appearing WM (NAWM).

Methods

The study included 102 MS patients: RRMS: 66%, SPMS: 18%, PPMS: 16%, mean age 46±14; female 64%, disease duration 12.16±18.18 years, median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): 2.5.

DW-MRI data were acquired with 1.8mm isotropic resolution isotropic and with the b-values [0, 700, 1000, 2000, 3000] s/mm2.

Lesion masks were generated with a deep learning network algorithm and manually corrected if required. Voxels of NAWM tissue were randomly chosen outside the lesion masks.

The following microstructural models were applied: DTI, Non-parametric DTI, DKI, Ball and Stick, Ball and Sticks, Ball and Rockets, NODDI-Watson, AMICO-NODDI, NODDI-Bingham, SMT-NODDI, NODDIDA, SMT, MCMDI, CHARMED, IVIM, sIVIM, Microstructure Fingerprinting, Microstructure Bayesian, DIAMOND, and DIAMOND isotropic-restricted.

The classification was performed using logistic regression on 300’000 voxels, equally divided in lesion and NAWM voxels. Features were scored according to the Area Under the Curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity.

Results

The intra-axonal signal fraction of the Microstructure Bayesian approach scored maximum with AUC=0.87, for threshold=0.5 sensitivity=0.79, sensitivity=0.83. AUC = 0.86 were attributed to the intra-axonal signal fraction of Ball and rockets, NODDI-Watson, AMICO-NODDI, NODDI-Bingham, SMT-NODDI and the extra-axonal perpendicular signal fraction of the Microstructure Bayesian approach. Low AUC scores (<0.75) were achieved by DTI and parameters not related to signal fractions, e.g. orientation dispersion.

Conclusions

Among available microstructural models, the Microstructure Bayesian appeared to best differentiate voxels with microstructural damage in WM lesions compared to NAWM. Very similar, albeit slightly lower accuracy, was achieved by NODDI-based models. In general, models with estimates intra-axonal signal fraction tend to perform better in this type of classification, showing that intra-axonal component may be the dominant factor in distinguishing the two types of tissue. Further analysis will explore the advantage of including combinations of independent features.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0545 - Automatic MS lesions segmentation using LeMan-PV as a clinical decision-support tool: a longitudinal analysis (ID 1590)

Abstract

Background

LeMan-PV is a prototype that performs cross-sectional and longitudinal detection of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) lesions, which has been validated on conventional (cMRI) and advanced magnetic resonance imaging at 3T (Fartaria et al. 2019). Since this software provides a report that is available shortly after image acquisition, it may be ideal as clinical decision-support tool.

Objectives

To assess LeMan-PV as clinical decision-support tool in a monocentric real-world cMRI dataset from the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Cohort.

Methods

262 MS patients underwent cMRI at Basel University Hospital in a mean of 3.5 follow-up sessions, with an average of 399 days between two consecutive sessions. cMRI sequences were acquired at 1.5T and 3T in 725 and 195 sessions, respectively. Cross-sectional and longitudinal MS lesions segmentation (i.e. identification of new and enlarging lesions - NLs, ELs) was performed using the LeMAN-PV prototype software. An expert neuroradiologist performed a radiological reading of the number of NLs and ELs in the most recent acquisition by comparing it to the previous one (ground truth, GT), considering only lesions with a diameter larger than 3 mm. The minimum volume thresholds to identify an NL and an EL were chosen by minimizing the patient-wise error between the automated count and the expert ground truth. Two scenarios were evaluated by first assuming disease activity if one or more EL were present, and second by considering activity if NL were present in the new acquisition.

Results

The volume thresholds chosen were 11 and 12 mm3 for ELs and NLs, respectively. For those, LeMan-PV detected 11% more of both ELs and NLs than the neuroradiologist. In the patient-wise evaluation of cases with both sessions acquired at 1.5T (70%), LeMan-PV showed sensitivities of 93% and 78% and specificities of 62% and 43% when evaluating ELs and NLs. For the 3T pairs of sessions (8%), values were 68% and 72% for ELs and 73% and 68% for NLs. Finally, for cases with a first acquisition at 1.5T and a second at 3T (22%), values were 76% and 73% for ELs and 71% and 65% for NLs.

Conclusions

The count of new and enlarging MS lesions using LeMan-PV were close to the one performed by an expert neuroradiologist; the software performed better when assessing disease activity via detection of enlarging lesions rather than by identifying new lesions. More 3T data is being currently collected at 3T to provide a size-matched inter-scanner comparison.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0553 - Bundle-specific microstructural alterations in normal appearing white matter of cognitively preserved MS patients using advanced diffusion MRI (ID 1718)

Abstract

Background

Although diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used to investigate the microstructure of white matter (WM) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), it has several limitations; thus different approaches to model diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data are needed.

Objectives

To investigate alterations in the normal appearing WM (NAWM) of cognitively preserved relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients using different modelling of dMRI data.

Methods

We included 39 patients (23 females; mean age: 34±6.7 years; median EDSS: 2, range 0-4; mean disease duration: 7±4.6 years) and 39 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC). All subjects underwent cognitive (corsi block, n-back, PASAT) and clinical assessment (EDSS) as well as MRI using a 3 Tesla scanner (Siemens Prisma). We assessed 14 diffusion measures applying DTI, freewater volume fraction (FW) corrected tissue DTI (tDTI) and High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI). Streamline-based particle filtering tractography was used to extract 33 major WM bundles with a multi-atlas/multi-parameter version of RecoBundle. For every bundle, the average of each diffusion measure was computed for the NAWM section. Groups were compared using t-tests and corrected for multiplicity (FDR, q=0.05).

Results

Patients and controls did not differ in cognitive performance. For each measure, the number of bundles showing a group difference and the effect size are reported: DTI (AD: 3 bundles, effect size r:0.3-0.47; RD: 16, r:0.29-0.44; MD: 16, r:0.29-0.48; FA: 11, r:-0.28- -0.5, MODE: 1,r:-0.29), tDTI (FW: 16, r:0.28-0.56; ADt: 2, r:0.34-0.44; RDt: 15, r:0.28-0.43; MDt: 14, r:0.29-0.41; FAt: 11, r:-0.29- -0.5) and HARDI (apparent fiber density (AFD): 9, r:-0.31- -0.41; generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA): 10, r:-0.29- -0.5; anisotropic power (AP): 10, r:-0.28- -0.51; number of fiber orientations (NuFO): 2, r:0.28-0.29). Differences were most prominent in the right arcuate fasciculus, right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus, right optic radiation and right superior longitudinal fasciculus.

Conclusions

All approaches used to model dMRI data showed structural alterations of several major WM bundles associated with cognitive functions despite patients’ normal cognitive performance. Hence, diffusion MRI could be used to assess disease progression in early stages of the disease when compensatory mechanisms can still support normal cognitive performance.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0561 - Comparison of different global network measures and tissue microstructural features to capture the ongoing brain damage in multiple sclerosis (ID 1284)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0561
Presentation Topic
Imaging

Abstract

Background

Graph theory is used to study brain connectivity, i.e. connectomes, estimated with diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). Previous studies have already investigated the correlation between some network measures and the Expansion Disability Status Scale (EDSS), which assesses the clinical worsening of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Objectives

We investigated connectivity changes between healthy controls (HC) and relapsing remitting (RR) patients and tested whether such differences correlate with EDSS, comparing the effectiveness of various definitions of “connection strength” using different microstructural models.

Methods

dMRI was acquired for 67 HC (39F, 37±7yrs) and 49 RR (33F, 37±4yrs). Connectomes were created with deterministic tractography and weighting the connections by 1) number of streamlines (NOS) between grey-matter regions and, 2) mean value of quantitative scalar maps, estimated using state-of-the-art microstructural models, along the streamlines, notably: fractional anisotropy, FA; axial AD, radial RD and mean diffusivity MD; Intra Neurite and Isotropic Volume Fractions, ICVF and ISOVF; orientation dispersion, OD; Neurite volume fraction, INTRA; Extra-neurite transverse and mean diffusivity EXTRATRANS and EXTRAMD. We computed 5 network measures from each connectome: Density (ratio between actual and possible connections); Efficiency (capability of transferring and processing information); Modularity (network segregation); Clustering Coefficient (degree to which nodes tend to cluster together); Mean Strength (average of the sum of the edge weights connected to a node).

Results

The network measures that significantly differ between the 2 groups were: Efficiency for ICVF p=0.031, AD p<0.01, RD p<0.01, EXTRATRANS p=0.019 and MD p<0.01 connectomes; Clustering Coefficient for AD p=0.015, RD p=0.013, EXTRATRANS p=0.021 and MD p<0.01 connectomes; Mean Strength for ICVF p=0.019, INTRA p=0.037, AD p=0.011, RD p<0.01, EXTRATRANS p=0.014 and MD p<0.01 connectomes. Only Modularity significantly correlate with EDSS for NOS p=0.047, FA p=0.049, ICVF p=0.041 and INTRA p=0.030 connectomes. All tests accounted for age, sex and density as confounding factor.

Conclusions

The maps discriminating more HC from MS patients were AD, RD, MD and EXTRATRANS. The microstructure features along the tracts with the highest correlation to EDSS were those investigating axonal integrity (FA, ICVF and INTRA). Modularity was the metric most correlated with EDSS.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0580 - Focal inflammatory activity and lesion repair are associated with brain atrophy rates in MS patients (ID 1092)

Abstract

Background

The pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) is multifactorial and the determinants of brain atrophy rates are not completely understood.

Objectives

To investigate the association between annualized atrophy rate (AAR) of multiple brain measures (regional cortical thickness (CTh), volumes of basal ganglia, thalamus, white matter, gray matter, brain and brain parenchymal fraction (BPF)) and: (1) annualized rate of new and enlarging white matter lesions (WMLs); (2) annualized rate of resolved WMLs; (3) occurrence of progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) during follow-up.

Methods

We included 1573 1.5T or 3T brain MRI scans from 378 patients of the Swiss MS Cohort Study (331 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), 27 clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), 11 secondary-progressive MS (SPMS), 9 primary-progressive MS (PPMS); 70% female; median age: 41.9 yrs; disease duration: 8.3 yrs; EDSS: 2.0; follow-up time: 4.0 yrs). Longitudinal changes in WMLs were obtained using an automated prototype (LeMan-PV). Brain volumes and CTh AARs were obtained using FreeSurfer longitudinal pipeline (v6.0) after WMLs filling. In patients fulfilling PIRA an EDSS progression had to be confirmed ≥6 months after the index event. Multivariable generalized linear models were used to model the association between AAR (dependent variable) and independent variables (1-3), correcting for age, sex, disease duration and baseline EDSS. p-values were adjusted for Bonferroni multiple comparison correction; for vertex-wise CTh analysis, Monte Carlo Z simulation was performed (cluster threshold p<0.05).

Results

We found positive associations between annualized rate of new and enlarging WMLs and (i) CTh AAR of 8 extensive clusters (bilateral frontal, temporal and occipital regions and right insula, all p<0.01) and (ii) AAR of: caudate bilaterally (p=0.02), white matter volume, brain volume and BPF (p<0.001 for all).

We also found a negative association between annualized rate of resolved WMLs and CTh AAR in 3 cortical clusters (right insula, precentral area and anterior cingulate region, all p<0.05); no associations with AAR of volumes emerged.

57 patients fulfilled PIRA whereas 295 experienced no EDSS progression events: no significant differences in AAR measures were found between these two groups.

Conclusions

In a large cohort of MS patients, with a median follow-up of 4 years, local radiological inflammatory and reparative activity were associated with AAR in multiple brain regions. PIRA did not seem to be related to increased AAR in any of the regions studied.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0587 - Impact of siponimod on myelination as assessed by MTR across SPMS subgroups: Post-hoc analysis from the EXPAND MRI substudy (ID 1588)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0587
Presentation Topic
Imaging

Abstract

Background

Changes in magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) are a marker of changes in myelin density and associated tissue integrity in the brain. Siponimod improved MTR recovery in lesions and demonstrated a significant effect on MTR decrease in normal-appearing brain tissue (NABT) and cortical grey matter (cGM) with a more pronounced effect on normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in the overall EXPAND secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) population, as reported previously.

Objectives

To investigate the effect of siponimod vs placebo (PBO) on MTR changes in NABT, cGM, and NAWM in subgroups of SPMS patients.

Methods

This prospective MTR substudy assessed the effect of siponimod versus PBO on median normalized MTR (nMTR) in NABT, cGM and NAWM assessed by absolute change from baseline (BL) to Month (M) 24 using repeated measures models. Patient subgroups were defined by: disease history and severity (age [≤45/>45 years], disease duration [≤15/>15 years], Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score [≤5.5/≥6.0], Symbol Digit Modalities Test score (≤43/>43); and inflammatory disease activity (active/non-active SPMS, with/without relapse in 2 years before screening, with/without gadolinium-enhancing lesions). Data from the per-protocol set (n=443) are presented.

Results

The subgroup analysis indicated that absolute changes from BL in median nMTR for NAWM ranged from –0.124 to –0.034 in the PBO group and from –0.016 to 0.040 in the siponimod group, which corresponds to 79–198% attenuation in median nMTR decrease versus PBO across all the subgroups studied (all p<0.05 except EDSS≥6 subgroup, p=0.064). The results were consistent for NABT (70–170%) and cGM (44–188%) although slightly less pronounced (p>0.05 for some subgroups). In the active SPMS subgroup, siponimod attenuated median nMTR decrease across NABT, cGM and NAWM by 91–109% (p<0.01 all); and in the non-active SPMS subgroup by 170–198% (p=0.0151 for NAWM, p>0.05 for NABT, cGM).

Conclusions

Over 24 months, siponimod attenuated the decrease in median nMTR in brain tissues across the patient subgroups characterized by disease activity and severity. The effect of siponimod was most pronounced in NAWM. These data support preclinical studies of siponimod, showing direct beneficial CNS effects on myelination.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0595 - Investigating the relation between global structural network measures and serum neurofilament light in multiple sclerosis (ID 1325)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0595
Presentation Topic
Imaging

Abstract

Background

Neurofilament light polypeptide (NfL) is a neurofilament protein highly expressed in myelinated axons. Increased serum NfL (sNfL) concentration indicates the presence of axonal damage in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Until now, the potential effects of this axonal damage on brain connectivity have never been investigated.

Objectives

We studied the relationship between active inflammation measured by sNFL and structural connectivity alterations detectable by global network metrics estimated with diffusion MRI.

Methods

Diffusion MRI, T1-weighted and FLAIR sequences were acquired on 74 patients (44F, 44.9±14.6yrs, 50 relapsing-remitting and 24 progressive) and sNfL levels were measured from blood samples in the same session. Volume of white-matter lesions was computed on FLAIR with an automatic in-house tool. To build the connectomes we 1) performed deterministic tractography on diffusion MRI, 2) segmented the grey matter in 85 regions using T1 images, and 3) quantified the connection strength of each pair of regions by counting the streamlines between them. From each connectome we extracted 5 global metrics: Density (ratio between actual and possible connections), Efficiency (capability of transferring and processing information); Modularity (network segregation); Clustering Coefficient (degree to which nodes tend to cluster together); Mean Strength (average of the sum of the edge weights connected to a node). Since discrepancies in density may affect other metrics, we first tested its correlation with sNFL, then we performed partial correlations of the last 4 metrics with sNFL using age, sex and density as covariates.

Results

We found negative correlation between density and sNfL (R=-0.252 p=0.05) indicating that high axonal damage is associated with reduced number of connections. Efficiency and mean strength showed a strong anti-correlation with sNfL (R=-0.325 p=0.011 and R=-0.475 p<0.001), while modularity and clustering coefficient seemed not related to axonal damage (R=0.183 p=0.162 and R=-0.215 p=0.099). Finally, a positive association with sNfL was found for both the lesions volume and the Expansion Disability Status Scale (p=0.011 R=0.323 and p=0.038 R=0.267), confirming previous results.

Conclusions

We showed that high values of sNfL are associated with global connectivity damage (reduced number of connections, efficiency and mean strength) confirming the utility of network-based connectivity metrics to assess MS disease impact.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0624 - Quantitative multiparametric 3T-MRI of postmortem multiple sclerosis whole brains (ID 1583)

Abstract

Background

Postmortem MRI provides precious insights into the relation of MRI metrics to pathoanatomical features of multiple sclerosis (MS) and can help to understand the basis of damage and repair.

Objectives

To investigate the respective features of MS lesions in the cortex and in the white matter using multiparametric postmortem MR imaging at 3T and identify discriminant characteristics of white matter lesion subgroups.

Methods

We scanned three fixed brains of secondary-progressive MS patients (mean disease duration 15.3 years) on a standard clinical 3T-MRI scanner with following sequences: Magnetization Transfer Saturation (MTsat), T1-relaxometry (T1-rt), Myelin Water Fraction (MWF) and Diffusion Tensor - Fractional Anisotropy (DTI-FA). We compared these metrics between (i) cortical lesions (CL, n=118) and normal-appearing grey matter (NAGM, n=186) and (ii) white matter lesions (WML, n=140) and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM, n=53) using a Mann-Whitney U test. Then, we analyzed the differences between different subgroups of WML (periventricular lesions -PVL-, n=38, WM part of leukocortical lesions -WMLCL-, n=36, subcortical lesions -SCL-, n=66, and areas of “dirty white matter” -DWM-, n=15) by performing a Kruskal-Wallis test and a Mann-Whitney U tests for direct comparison. Bonferroni correction for multiple-testing was applied.

Results

CL exhibited lower MTsat (p<0.001), higher T1-rt (p<0.001) and MWF (p<0.01) than normal appearing cortical tissue. WML showed lower MTsat (p<0.001), higher T1-rt (p<0.001), and lower MWF (p<0.001) than normal appearing white matter. DTI-FA did not differ between CL/WML and NAWM/NAGM. MTsat values were lower in the PVL (p<0.001) and higher in the DWM (p<0.001) in comparison to all other lesion subgroups. T1-rt were higher in PVL (p<0.001) compared to the other lesion subgroups. MWF values were higher in DWM and SCL (p<0.01), not statistically different between PVL and WMLCL. DTI-FA values were lower in WMLCL in comparison to all other subgroups (p<0.01) and did not differ between the other categories.

Conclusions

Postmortem MRI metrics in WML/CL as well as in different subgroups of WML, are compatible with myelin damage and tissue destruction. Interestingly, MWF was higher in CL than in NAGM, which might correspond to a predominance of “myelin blistering” pathology in the cortex. Ongoing work aims to directly correlate our findings with detailed histopathological characterization including electron microscopy of myelin damage.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0638 - Role of Gadolinium-based contrast agents to detect subclinical disease activity in clinically stable patients in the Swiss MS Cohort Study (ID 821)

Abstract

Background

Gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents are widely used to assess disease activity and treatment response by MRI in multiple sclerosis (MS). There is, however, increasing concern about their safety as their repeated administration may lead to brain parenchymal accumulation, while preclinical models suggest that they induce mitochondrial toxicity and neuronal cell death. Moreover, recent reports have demonstrated that three-dimensional (3D) T2-weighted Fluid-Attenuated-Inversion-Recovery (FLAIR) is highly sensitive in detecting new or enlarging MS lesions.

Objectives

To explore whether the presence of contrast enhancing lesions (CEL) based on Gd injection is more sensitive in detecting lesional activity in clinically stable MS patients in comparison to the analysis of new or enlarging MS lesions by 3D FLAIR.

Methods

MS patients being part of the observational, multicenter Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Cohort Study (SMSC) with contrast enhanced T1-weighted (T1w) images were included. Clinical stability was defined as no relapse and no Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) increase during at least twelve months prior to MRI. Presence of CEL was assessed on contrast enhanced T1w images. Presence of new or enlarging T2w lesions was assessed manually on 3D FLAIR in an independent analysis by a different investigator in clinically stable MS patients presenting with CEL.

Results

3930 MRI scans (3.0 Tesla n=1497 (38%)) in 1057 participants (685 women, median age 42.0 years, 941 with relapsing MS, 116 with progressive MS, median EDSS 2.0 (range 1.5-3.5), median disease duration 7.4 years) were included.

Of 2620 MRI scans (66.7%) acquired in clinically stable conditions 46 (1.8%) demonstrated CEL. In all of these, new or enlarging T2w lesions were detectable by 3D FLAIR when a previous MRI was available for comparison (previous MRI available in 29/46; median number of new or enlarging T2w lesions: 3 (range 1-41, total number 176); median number of CEL: 1 (range 1-4, total number 47)).

Conclusions

In our large cohort from clinical practice, the assessment of new or enlarging lesions by 3D FLAIR was equally sensitive as the quantification of CEL to detect disease activity in clinically stable MS patients, challenging current practice of the use of Gd-enhanced MRI for monitoring of MS in clinical routine.

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Imaging Poster Presentation

P0647 - Studying intralesional axonal damage in MS white matter lesions with diffusion MRI biophysical models (ID 694)

Abstract

Background

Advanced diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) sequences, in combination with biophysical models, provide new information on the microstructural properties of the tissue.

Objectives

To investigate the differences in intra-axonal signal fraction (IASF) between perilesional normal-appearing white matter (pl-NAWM), white matter lesions (WML) without (rim-) and with paramagnetic rim (rim+) comparing eight biophysical diffusion models.

Methods

The study included 102 MS patients: RRMS: 66%, SPMS: 18%, PPMS: 16%, mean age 46±14; female 64%, disease duration 12.16±18.18 yrs, median EDSS: 2.5.

DW-MRI data were acquired with 1.8mm isotropic resolution and b-values [0, 700, 1000, 2000, 3000] s/mm2.

Lesion masks were generated with a deep-learning-based method and manually corrected if required; pl-NAWM was defined as a region of 3-voxels around each WML; 225 paramagnetic rim lesions were manually identified based on 3D EPI and 2330 were labelled as rim-.

The following microstructural models were applied: Ball and Stick, Ball and Rockets, AMICO-NODDI, SMT-NODDI, MCMDI, NODDIDA, CHARMED, Microstructure Bayesian approach.

Delta (WML - pl-NAWM) was calculated for each WML, and one-side Mann Whitney U was used to compare the delta between models, followed by Bonferroni to correct for multiple testing.

Mean difference and Cohen's d was used to assess differences between lesions with extensive axonal damage (rim+) and other WML (rim-).

Results

All models applied in this study reported low IASF in rim+ WML, medium IASF in rim- WML and relatively high IASF in pl-NAWM. However, a broad spectrum of IASF values was identified from the different models: relatively simple models such as Ball and Stick and CHARMED, showed low delta IASF within lesions, while MCMDI models reported the highest significant difference compared to other models (p<0.0001). The comparison between WML and pl-NAWM mean IASF across models showed that MCDMI exhibited the highest difference (mean 0.13, Cohen’s d 1.34). AMICO-NODDI and SMT-NODDI showed close results (mean difference 0.12/0.12 and Cohen’s d 1.46/1.51).

The models best discriminating IASF between rim+ and rim- lesions were MCMDI and NODIDDA (mean 0.08/0.07, Cohen’s d -0.69/-0.70).

Conclusions

We compared eight WM diffusion models for assessment of intralesional axonal damage in MS patients. The comparison between WML and pl-NAWM showed that robustness of the method, identified with SMT-based and NODDI-based models, it is crucial. For the comparison between lesions with a high level of damage (rim +) and other WML, the diffusivity estimation appeared to play an important role. The method which appeared both robust and able to estimate the diffusivity of the tissue was MCMDI, which performed best in both cases.

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Neuromyelitis Optica and Anti-MOG Disease Poster Presentation

P0708 - Differential MRI biomarkers between MOGAD, AQP4-NMOSD and RRMS: a MAGNIMS multicenter study (ID 1335)

Abstract

Background

Clinical and imaging features of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) may overlap with those of aquaporin 4-neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD) and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). There is an unmet need for MRI biomarkers which reflect biological mechanisms involved in MOGAD and can help in the differential diagnosis.

Objectives

We aim to identify imaging features able to differentiate between non-acute MOG-antibody disease, AQP4-NMOSD and RRMS.

Methods

In this ongoing retrospective, cross-sectional MAGNIMS study, we analyzed data collected from 8 centers. All subjects (n=352) had brain and cervical cord 3T MRI. Quantification of MRI biomarkers included brain white matter lesions (WMLs), cortical lesions (CL), brain parenchymal fraction (BPF), white matter fraction (WMF), cortical and deep grey matter fractions (GMF) and cross-sectional cervical cord area (CSA) at C1-C2. Linear regression models were used to compare MRI measures between groups, corrected for age, sex, and centre. Statistical significance was considered when p was <0.05.

Results

91 patients with MOGAD (50F, mean age: 41yrs [±15]), 85 with AQP4-NMOSD (68F, 49yrs [±14]), 90 with RRMS (56F, 41yrs [±11]) and 87 healthy controls (HCs) (54F, 36yrs [±11.6]) were collected. The most common phenotypes at onset were optic neuritis and transverse myelitis in MOGAD (93%) and AQP4-NMOSD (87%). WMLs were detected in 57% MOGAD, 79% AQP4-NMOSD, all RRMS (100%) patients, and in 15% HCs. The mean lesion load and number of lesions were higher in RRMS than both MOGAD (p=0.007, p<0.001) and AQP4-NMOSD (p=0.001, p<0.001). At least one CL was seen in 8% patients with MOGAD (total n=8), 10% patients with AQP4-NMOSD (n=7), and in 69% patients with RRMS (n=150). All patient groups showed lower BPF than HCs, with lower WMF in MOGAD and RRMS than HCs (all p<0.01). Between groups, deep GMF was lower in RRMS than MOGAD (p<0.001) and AQP4-NMOSD (p=0.001). CSA was reduced in all disease groups when compared to HCs (all p<0.01) and lower in AQP4-NMOSD than RRMS (p=0.01).

Conclusions

This ongoing study indicates that MOGAD and AQP4-NMOSD share similar MRI features, and no specific MRI biomarker can distinguish between them. Patients with AQP4-NMOSD showed greater spinal cord atrophy than RRMS, and RRMS patients had a higher number of cortical lesions, and greater deep GM atrophy than AQP4-NMOSD and MOGAD. The next step is to investigate whether lesion distribution differs between the two antibody-mediated disease.

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Observational Studies Poster Presentation

P0862 - Disability accrual in primary-progressive & secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (ID 1232)

Abstract

Background

Some cohort studies have reported similar onset age and disability accrual in primary and secondary progressive MS (PPMS, SPMS); others have reported later onset and faster disability accrual in SPMS. Comparisons are complicated by differences in baseline disability and exposure to disease-modifying therapies (DMT), and by lack of a standardized definition of SPMS.

Objectives

We compared hazards of disability accrual in PPMS and SPMS patients from the MSBase cohort using multivariable Cox models, applying validated diagnostic criteria for SPMS (Lorscheider et al., Brain 2016).

Methods

Inclusion required adult-onset progressive MS; ≥ 3 recorded Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores; and, for SPMS, initial records with EDSS ≤ 3 to allow objective identification of SPMS conversion. Phenotypes were subgrouped as active (PPMS-A, SPMS-A) if ≥ 1 progressive-phase relapse was recorded, and inactive (PPMS-N, SPMS-N) otherwise. Disability accrual was defined by sustained EDSS increases confirmed over ≥ 6 months. Hazard ratios (HR) for disability accrual were obtained using Andersen-Gill Cox models, adjusted for sex and time-varying age, disability, visit frequency, and proportion of time on DMT or immunosuppressive therapy. Sensitivity analyses were performed using (1) PPMS and SPMS diagnosed since 1995, and (2) physician-diagnosed SPMS. Cumulative probability of reaching EDSS ≥ 7 (wheelchair required) was assessed (Kaplan-Meier).

Results

5461 patients were included (1257 PPMS-N; 1308 PPMS-A; 1731 SPMS-N; 1165 SPMS-A). Age at progression onset was older in SPMS than PPMS (47.2 ± 10.2, vs. 41.5 ± 10.7 [mean ± SD]), and in the inactive subgroups of each phenotype. Hazard of disability accrual was decreased in SPMS relative to PPMS (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.78–0.92); decreased by proportion of time on DMT (HR 0.99 per 10% increment; 0.98–0.99); and higher in males (1.18; 1.12–1.25). Relative to PPMS-N, hazard was decreased in SPMS-A (0.79; 0.71–0.87) but similar for PPMS-A (1.01; 0.93–1.10) and SPMS-N (0.94; 0.85–1.05). Sensitivity analyses corroborated these results. However, patients with SPMS-A reached EDSS ≥ 7 at younger ages (cumulative probability 30% by 57, vs. 64–66 for SPMS-N, PPMS-A, PPMS-N).

Conclusions

Progressive phase onset is later in SPMS than PPMS. Hazard of disability accrual during the progressive phase is lower in SPMS than PPMS. However, patients with SPMS-A reach wheelchair requirement younger than other progressive phenotypes, reflecting earlier progression onset versus SPMS-N, and greater disability at onset versus PPMS

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Pathogenesis – the Blood-Brain Barrier Poster Presentation

P0945 - Brain choroid plexus volume in Multiple Sclerosis versus Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disease (ID 1476)

Abstract

Background

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) have a different pathophysiology. Accumulating evidence suggests that the choroid plexus plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of MS. However, MRI data comparing the choroid plexus volume between MS and NMOSD are scarce.

Objectives

To compare the choroid plexus volume in MS vs. NMOSD in vivo using high-resolution 3D MRI data. Migraine patients and healthy individuals served as control groups.

Methods

We included 95 MS patients [45% secondary progressive (SP); mean age 51.0±11.5 years; disease duration 20.8±10.4 years, 62% female; median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 4.0], 43 NMOSD patients [28/43 anti-aquaporin 4 antibody positive; 11/43 anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody positive; 87% female; mean age 50.0±13.8 years; disease duration 6.8±7.3 years, median EDSS 3.0], 38 migraine patients [mean age 39±13 years, 79% female; 15/38 migraine with aura] and 65 healthy individuals [HCs, mean age 41±17 years, 48% female]. The choroid plexus of the lateral ventricles and T2-weighted (T2w) white matter lesions (WMLs) were segmented fully automated on T1-weighted (T1w) magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) images and fluid attenuated inversion recovery sequences (FLAIR, voxel size of both sequences 1x1x1 mm3), respectively, using a supervised deep learning algorithm (multi-dimensional gated recurrent units). Total intracranial volume (TIV) and lateral ventricle volumes were assessed fully automated using Freesurfer. All outputs were reviewed and manually corrected (if necessary) using 3D-Slicer by trained raters who were blinded to the clinical information. Group differences were analyzed using multivariable generalized linear models (GLMs) adjusted for age, gender, TIV and lateral ventricle volume. Cohens’ d was used to calculate the standardized difference between the respective groups. Given p-values are adjusted for multiple comparisons (Bonferroni).

Results

Mean choroid plexus was larger in MS compared to NMOSD (1907±455 vs. 1467±408 µl; p<0.001, d=0.86), HCs (1663±424 µl; p=0.007, d=1.17) and migraine (1527±366 µl; p=0.02, d=0.72). There was no statistical difference in the choroid plexus volume between NMOSD, migraine and HCs. The choroid plexus was marginally larger in RRMS than SPMS (1959±482 vs. 1875±476 µl; p=0.28; d=0.17) and in untreated MS patients compared to MS patients on disease modifying therapy (2111±382 vs. 1876±459 µl; p=0.36). However, these differences did not reach statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons. There was no association between the choroid plexus volume and total T2w WML volume in MS.

Conclusions

Patients with MS have larger choroid plexus than HCs, migraine and NMOSD patients. Further studies are warranted to investigate the respective roles of the choroid plexus in the pathogenesis of MS and NMOSD.

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Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Poster Presentation

P1038 - Improved or maintained employment status in natalizumab-treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients in the TYSABRI Observational Program (ID 676)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P1038
Presentation Topic
Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life

Abstract

Background

Unemployment rates can be high among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and a return to work after unemployment can be difficult, highlighting the importance of treatment in preventing a departure from the workforce due to MS. Natalizumab is a highly effective treatment for patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and was associated with positive employment outcomes in real-world studies.

Objectives

To evaluate changes in employment status in RRMS patients treated with natalizumab in the TYSABRI Observational Program (TOP), a large observational study assessing the long-term safety and effectiveness of natalizumab.

Methods

This retrospective analysis included patients aged ≤65 years at TOP enrolment (i.e., baseline [BL]) who were surveyed on their employment status in the year before natalizumab initiation and in the period since treatment initiation (N=2004). Multivariate logistic regression tested the association between BL characteristics and employment outcomes.

Results

At BL, patients had a mean (standard deviation [SD]) Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 3.5 (1.5). At the survey, patients had a mean (SD) of 5.5 (3.3) years of natalizumab treatment. Survey responses indicated that in the year before natalizumab initiation, 1107 patients (55.2%) were working; 814 patients (40.6%) were working full time, 53 (2.6%) were working part time due to MS, 265 (13.2%) were not working due to MS, and 240 (12.0%) and 632 (31.5%) were working part time or not at all, respectively, for other reasons. After natalizumab initiation, 861 patients (43.0%) improved (1.3%) or maintained (41.6%) their employment level, whereas 170 (8.5%) experienced a decline in employment level due to MS and 256 (12.8%) remained unemployed due to MS. Significant predictors of improving/maintaining employment status were younger age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.756; P=0.005), lower BL EDSS score (aOR: 0.747; P<0.001), and fewer relapses in the year before natalizumab initiation (aOR: 0.829; P=0.042), but did not include sex, prior therapy use, or RRMS duration.

Conclusions

Of patients who were working prior to natalizumab initiation, 77.0% maintained or improved their employment level with an average follow up of 5.5 years. Overall, favourable outcomes were predicted by younger age and less BL disease activity, supporting the importance of natalizumab initiation early in the disease course to help prevent patients from leaving the workforce due to MS.

The TOP study is funded by Biogen. Biogen funded the analyses and writing support for this abstract. Writing support was provided by Ashfield Healthcare Communications (Middletown, CT, USA).

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Presenter Of 1 Presentation

Clinical Outcome Measures Poster Presentation

P0071 - Effect of oral ponesimod on clinical disease activity and MRI-based outcomes in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis: Phase 3 OPTIMUM study (ID 1570)

Abstract

Background

Ponesimod (PON), an orally active, highly selective and reversible modulator of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1, reduces circulating lymphocytes by sequestration in lymphoid organs. In the phase-3 OPTIMUM study (NCT02425644), PON showed superior efficacy vs teriflunomide (TER) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS).

Objectives

To evaluate prespecified MRI-based endpoints and no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) status in patients with RMS.

Methods

Patients (18-55 years) with RMS (expanded disability status scale scores: 0-5.5) were randomized (1:1) to receive PON 20 mg or TER 14 mg for 108 weeks. MRI endpoints included: percentage change from baseline to week 108 in brain volume (SIENA, Structural Image Evaluation, using Normalization of Atrophy), mean number of new gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) T1 lesions and volume/count of new/enlarging T2-weighted (T2) lesions. NEDA-3 (absence of confirmed relapse, 12-week confirmed disability accumulation, Gd+T1 and new/enlarging T2 lesions on annual MRIs) and NEDA-4 status (NEDA-3 and no average annual brain volume decrease ≥0.4%) were evaluated from baseline to week 108.

Results

985/1133 (86.9%) randomized patients completed the study. MRI findings for PON vs TER from baseline to week 108, respectively, were: least square (LS) mean percent change from baseline in brain volume: −0.91% vs −1.25% (difference: 0.34%, 95% CLs: 0.17;0.50, p<0.0001); LS mean difference (PON−TER) in change from baseline in total T2 lesion load: −399.2 mm3 (95% CLs: −651.5;−146.8, p=0.002); mean number of new/enlarging T2 lesions per year: 1.40 vs 3.16 (rate ratio [RR]: 0.44, 95% CLs: 0.36;0.54, p<0.0001); PON vs TER odds ratio (OR [95% CL]) for absence of new/enlarging T2 lesions: 1.71 (1.30;2.25, p=0.0001); mean number of new Gd+T1 lesions per scan: 0.18 vs 0.43 (RR: 0.42, 95% CLs: 0.31;0.56, p<0.0001); PON vs TER (OR [95% CL]) for absence of new Gd+T1 lesions: 2.18 (1.61;2.95, p<0.0001). At week 108, 28.2% (159/564) PON vs 18.3% (102/558) TER patients (OR: 1.70, 95% CLs: 1.27;2.28, p=0.0004) achieved NEDA-3; 15.0% (79/526) PON vs 8.5% (45/532) TER patients (OR: 1.85, 95% CLs: 1.24;2.76, p=0.0026) achieved NEDA-4. The most common reason for not achieving NEDA-3 or NEDA-4 status was presence of new/enlarging T2 lesions.

Conclusions

PON showed benefit vs TER for all MRI outcomes including brain volume loss and a significantly higher proportion of patients achieved NEDA-3 and NEDA-4 status, supporting the effects observed on clinical endpoints.

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