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RecruitingNCT06502015Updated Jul 29, 2026

Biomarkers in Autoimmune Disease of Nervous System

An observational study in Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System, Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder and Multiple Sclerosis, sponsored by Tongji Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-29.

Sponsored by Tongji Hospital · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
50,000
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Neurological autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders characterized by the abnormal immune response attacking the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. These diseases exhibit high heterogeneity, diverse clinical presentations, and are challenging to diagnose and manage due to a lack of effective treatments. In this study, the investigators will recruit eight kinds of autoimmune diseases of nervous system including Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), Myasthenia Gravis (MG), Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), and multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune encephalitis (AE), Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease (MOGAD). Through this study, the investigators aim to discover biomarkers with high sensitivity, specificity, and stability, which can support early diagnosis, disease monitoring, and personalized treatment for neurological autoimmune diseases, thereby improving the quality of life and prognosis for patients.

Read the detailed description

Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system are a type of disease in which the human immune system mistakenly attacks its own nervous system, causing damage to the structure and function of the nervous system. Its main pathogenic mechanism is that autoimmune cells, autoantibodies and other immune molecules directly or indirectly attack the nervous system. Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system can affect the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and neuromuscular junction, leading to pathological changes such as neuronal or axonal damage, demyelination, and destruction of neuromuscular junction. Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system are relatively rare, with a wide range of damage and complex and diverse clinical manifestations. They have the characteristics of complexity of immune diseases and high mortality and disability of nervous system diseases. At present, the understanding of the disease is limited, and some diseases are difficult to diagnose. Globally, it is a major cause of disability in young and middle-aged people and can cause huge social and economic burdens. However, due to the lack of a series of relatively reliable prognostic predictors, it is impossible to carry out personalized immunotherapy to achieve the best therapeutic effect, and serious adverse events may occur. Proteomics, metabolomics, intestinal microorganisms and intestinal high-throughput targeted metabolomics, exosomes, miRNA sequencing, single-cell transcriptome sequencing and other detection methods and lymphocyte subsets have been hot topics in the study of various diseases in recent years. It has been found that abnormalities in the expression and function of certain genes, proteins, metabolites, miRNAs, intestinal flora and lymphocyte subsets are closely related to the occurrence and development of many diseases and the functional disability of patients, and have a good suggestive effect on prognosis judgment.

02

Conditions studied

  • Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System
  • Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome
  • Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
  • Autoimmune Encephalitis
  • Stiff-Person Syndrome
  • Myasthenia Gravis
  • Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy
  • Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies
  • Autoimmune Diseases

Keywords

  • Biomarker
  • Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System
  • Immune cell
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients with neurological autoimmune disease admission to Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from June 1, 2024 - May 31, 2034.

Inclusion criteria

  • Clinical diagnosis with autoinflammatory diseases of the nervous system, including: Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), Myasthenia Gravis (MG), Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), idiopathic inflammatory myopathy(IIM), multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune encephalitis (AE), Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease (MOGAD), ect al.
  • sex and age-matched healthy individuals

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known history of primary immunodeficiency (innate or acquired).
  • Patients with severe central nervous system, pulmonary, or other systemic infections.
  • Patients with secondary central nervous system demyelinating lesions, such as those caused by vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Sjögren's syndrome.
  • Patients with vascular (including hemorrhagic and ischemic), hereditary metabolic, neoplastic, or toxic diseases.
  • Pregnant or lactating women.
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
50,000 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • autoimmune disease

    clinical diagnosis with autoimmune disease of central nervous system

    Diagnostic Test: biomaker levels

  • health control

    age- and sex-matched control individuals

    Diagnostic Test: biomaker levels

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testbiomaker levels

    this study will discover and validate novel biomarkers (including blood, feces, bone marrow and lymph nodes etc al) of various neurological autoimmune diseases

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. All-cause mortality

    Death during the follow-up in every single reason

    Time frame: 10 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Autoimmune disease of any kind

    Brain or spinal MRI scans will be used to detect the presence of any autoimmune disease, including multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, autoimmune encephalitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and myasthenia gravis.

    Time frame: 10 years

Other outcomes

  1. Accumulated total active MRI lesions

    the number of accumulate total active MRI lesions after CT103A infusion

    Time frame: 10 years

  2. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score

    EDSS and its associated functional system (FS) score provide a system for quantifying disability and monitoring changes in the level of disability over time. EDSS is a scale for assessing neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS). It consists of 7 FS (visual FS, brainstem FS, pyramidal FS, cerebellar FS, sensory FS, bowel and bladder FS, and cerebral FS) which are used to derive EDSS score ranging from 0 (normal neurological exam) to 10 (death from MS). A negative change from baseline indicates improvement. A participant was considered to have a worsening in overall EDSS score of at least 2 if baseline EDSS score was 0, or at least 1 point if baseline EDSS score is 1 to 5, or at least 0.5 point if baseline EDSS score is 5.5 or more.

    Time frame: 10 years

  3. Modified Rankin Scale

    Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a profoundly valid and reliable measure of disability and is broadly utilized for assessing stroke outcomes and degree of disability. A favorable outcome was characterized as mRS ranging from zero up to two, while unfavorable outcome ranging for 3 up to 6.

    Time frame: 10 years

  4. Visual acuity

    Corrected visual acuity is determine by Snellen E chart held at a distance of 5 meters. Higher score indicates better vision.

    Time frame: 10 years

  5. Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMG)

    Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMG) range from 0 to 3. The normal person scored 0 and the higher score represent sever clinical symptom.

    Time frame: 10 years

  6. Myasthenia Gravis Activities if Daily Living (MG-ADL) Score

    The MG-ADL is an eight-question survey of symptom severity, with each response graded from 0 (normal) to 3 (most severe). Two questions concern ocular, three oropharyngeal, one respiratory, and two extremity functions. Cumulative MG-ADL scores range from 0 to 24

    Time frame: 10 years

  7. Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment (INCAT) Score

    The INCAT score comprises two parts, the arm score and the leg score. Based on a patient's level of impairment in their arms and legs, each part is scored between 0 and 5 points, resulting in an INCAT total score between 0 and 10.

    Time frame: 10 years

  8. Medical Research Council (MRC) muscle function Score

    The MRC score system for testing and grading of muscle function aims to provide a standardized and objective way to assess muscle function. It ranges from 0 to 5.

    Time frame: 10 years

  9. Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) Score

    For MMT score, 16 muscle groups/ motions will be tested (not individual muscles). 14 of these are tested bilaterally. The score range from 0 to 10. A score of 10 is normal and a score of 0 is the worst.

    Time frame: 10 years

  10. 36-item Short Form Generic Health Survey (SF-36) score

    SF-36 will used to understand the health related quality-of -life of the subjects after CT103A infusion. The eight health concepts: limitations in physical activities because of health problems; limitations in social activities because of physical or emotional problems; limitations in usual role activities because of physical health problems; bodily pain; general mental health (psychological distress and well-being); limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problems; vitality (energy and fatigue); and general health perceptions will be searched. These outcomes will be grouped as physical component summary and mental component summary. The norm data is 0-100, the health related quality of life is increases as the scores are increased. The average score is 50.

    Time frame: 10 years

  11. EuroQol-five dimensions (EQ-SD) score

    Health status is measured with the EuroQuality of Life Five Dimensions (EQ-5D) after CT103A infusion, which includes five dimensions and is used to evaluate the quality of life of sepsis survivors. They are mobility, self-care, usual activities, discomfort or pain and depression or anxiety. Levels are coded 1-5 and a total score is then generated. Results for the demographic measured will be displayed as a percentage value.

    Time frame: 10 years

  12. Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score

    usual visual analog scale (VAS) of pain is used to evaluate pain after CT103A infusion (line from 0: no pain to 10:worst pain)

    Time frame: 10 years

  13. Changes of concentration( pg/mL) of cytokines

    such as ferritin, CRP, IL-6 and procalcitonin) will be analyzed

    Time frame: 10 years

  14. Profiling of immune cell subtypes

    Changes in immune cells (including proportion of CD3+ T cells, CD3+CD4+ T cells and CD3+CD8+ T cells, ratio of CD4+ T/CD8+T) in blood, CSF and other immune organs will be analyzed through flow cytometry and single cell sequencing.

    Time frame: 10 years

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
    Wuhan, 430030, China
    Recruiting
07

References and documents

Publications

  • McPherson RC, Anderton SM. Adaptive immune responses in CNS autoimmune disease: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2013 Sep;8(4):774-90. doi: 10.1007/s11481-013-9453-9. Epub 2013 Apr 9. PubMed 23568718 ↗
  • Stenager E. A global perspective on the burden of multiple sclerosis. Lancet Neurol. 2019 Mar;18(3):227-228. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30498-8. Epub 2019 Jan 21. No abstract available. PubMed 30679041 ↗
  • Solomon AJ, Arrambide G, Brownlee WJ, Flanagan EP, Amato MP, Amezcua L, Banwell BL, Barkhof F, Corboy JR, Correale J, Fujihara K, Graves J, Harnegie MP, Hemmer B, Lechner-Scott J, Marrie RA, Newsome SD, Rocca MA, Royal W 3rd, Waubant EL, Yamout B, Cohen JA. Differential diagnosis of suspected multiple sclerosis: an updated consensus approach. Lancet Neurol. 2023 Aug;22(8):750-768. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00148-5. PubMed 37479377 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06502015
Lead sponsor
Tongji Hospital
Responsible party
Daishi Tian (Prof., Tongji Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 15, 2024
Start date
Jul 31, 2024
Primary completion
Jul 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 29, 2026

Study contacts

Luo-qi Zhou, MD
Contact
zhouluoqi@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn
86-27-83663337
Dai-shi Tian, MD
principal investigator · Tongji Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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