An observational study in Multiple Sclerosis, sponsored by Université Catholique de Louvain. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Belgium. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-04.
Sponsored by Université Catholique de Louvain · Observational
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and the leading non-traumatic cause of neurological disability in young adults. Historically considered a T-cell-mediated disease, the paradigm for MS has shifted thanks to the efficacy of therapies targeting B cells. The investigators recently identified FCRL5 as a B-cell-specific biomarker that is significantly elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with relapsing-remitting MS and is independently associated with an increased risk of developing new MRI lesions within two years of diagnosis (ref. Deltombe et al., PMID: 41004694). This project aims to further explore FCRL5 as a prognostic biomarker, study the role of FCRL5-expressing B cells in MS pathogenesis and the effects of disease-modifying therapies on these subsets.
3,264 studies on the registry are indexed under Multiple Sclerosis; 659 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 90 is close to the median of 100 across 970 observational studies indexed under Multiple Sclerosis.
Browse Multiple Sclerosis studies →Université Catholique de Louvain is the lead sponsor of 154 studies on the registry; 59 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Patients with MS and healthy controls
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
For healthy volunteers:
For participants with Sjögren's syndrome:
Exclusion Criteria:
For healthy volunteers:
Subjects not receiving immunosuppressive therapy
For subjects with Sjögren's syndrome:
Subjects not receiving immunosuppressive therapy
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Other: A blood test every 6 months for MS patients.
Other: A single blood draw for the healthy volunteer
Other: A single blood draw for the group of volunteers with Sjögren's syndrome
A blood test every 6 months for MS patients : Day1, Month 6, Month 12 and Month 24
A single blood draw for the healthy volunteer
A single blood draw for the group of volunteers with Sjögren's syndrome
Characterization of the phenotype of peripheral CD19⁺CD11c⁺FCRL5⁺ B lymphocytes in patients with MS
Time frame: Throughout the entire study, approximately during 40 months
Characterization of the activity of peripheral CD19⁺CD11c⁺FCRL5⁺ B lymphocytes in patients with MS
Time frame: Throughout the entire study, approximately during 40 months
Immunological role of CD19⁺CD11c⁺FCRL5⁺ B cells in the pathogenesis of MS.
Time frame: Throughout the entire study, approximately during 40 months
Correlations in the participants' clinical, biological, radiological profiles and the immunological characteristics
Time frame: Throughout the entire study, approximately during 40 months
Plan to share: No
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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