Multimodal Imaging Signatures of the Biological Mechanisms Underlying Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis (IMAGINDEALinMS)

Multimodal Imaging Signatures of the Biological Mechanisms Underlying Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis: Long Term Predictive Value (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system characterised by multi-focal inflammatory and demyelinating lesions disseminated in the brain and in the spinal cord. Impressive advancements in the treatment of the autoimmune component of the disease have been achieved during the last decades, leading to a drastic reduction of white matter lesion accumulation and relapse rate along the disease course. However, the development of treatments effective for preventing or delaying the neurodegenerative component of the disease, that underly disability accrual and progression of the disease, remains a major challenge. The development of novel therapeutic strategies for neuroprotection that target all patients with MS is a priority objective for research in the next years. The critical steps towards identifying treatments that prevent neuro-axonal damage include a deep understanding of the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and the development of reliable biomarkers for assessing the efficacy of emerging drugs and for accelerating their translation to clinical use.

The team of Prof. Stankoff has pioneered an innovative imaging approach combining positron emission tomography and MRI, and succeeded in generating individual maps or key biological processes such as endogenous remyelination, neuroinflammation, or early damage preceding lesion formation. Using these approaches, it has been shown that these mechanisms were influencing disability worsening over the disease course, but the investigators still lack long term longitudinal studies for the validation of these advanced imaging metrics as prognosis markers. Recently, preliminary results have also suggested that a multimodal combination of advanced MRI sequences may have the potential to reproduce some PET results.

In this project the investigators propose to unravel the predictive value of individual maps of tremyelination, neuroinflammation, and early tissue damage, on long term disability worsening and to develop a novel imaging approach that aims to capture remyelination of lesions, ongoing inflammation invisible on T1 and T2 MRI sequences (subacute/chronic active lesions) and to predict short-term future disease activity (identify prelesional areas), from a single multimodal MRI acquisition in patients with MS.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: MRI

Detailed Description

MS patient already included in previous studies using MRI and/or PET-MR (INFLASEP (NCT02305264), FLUMATEP (NCT01651520) or SHADOWTEP) will be proposed a long-term follow up study.

Participants will undergo :

• a full neurological examination including EDSS
• medical history and comorbidities (including smoking)
• concomitant and MS treatments
• neuropsychological testing
• Blood sample for serum biobanking
• multimodal MRI

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Bruno Stankoff, MD; Phone Number: +33 1 42 16 24 32; Email: bruno.stankoff@aphp.fr
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Fredy Pene, Mr; Phone Number: +33 1 49 28 20 00; Email: fredy.pene@aphp.fr

Study Locations

• France
  • Paris, France, 75013
    • Recruiting
    • CIC Neurosciences
    • Contact: STANKOFF Bruno

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Major subjects with Multiple Sclerosis will be included in this study

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Multiple Sclerosis Patient already enrolled in one of those 3 protocols since 8 years or more: INFLASEP, FLUMATEP 1-2 or SHADOWTEP
• Adult patient
• Affiliation to a social security scheme or beneficiary of such a scheme (Except "Aide Médicale d'Etat")
• Consent obtained

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any reasons, which does not allow to perform MRI, including claustrophobia, the implant of a pace maker or the presence of an intra-ocular foreign body (a contra- indication questionnaire will be filled in beforehand)
• Pregnancy, breast-feeding, lack of efficient contraception
• Current symptoms of severe or uncontrolled renal, hepatic, hematological, gastrointestinal, pulmonary or cardiac disease, or any other chronic neurological diseases
• Unwillingness to be informed in case of abnormal MRI (with a significant medical anomaly)
• Enrolment in another interventional study protocol for the duration of his or her participation without physician's agreement
• Patient under legal protection

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Other

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) score	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression of neurological disability between the first inclusion in FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP study, and the inclusion in the current study. Scale: min=0 ;max=10	Inclusion

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
MSFC (Component of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Score) score for neurological disability: 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPG)	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=300	Inclusion
SDMT(Symbol Digit Modalities Test) for speed processing	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=110	Inclusion
T25FW (Timed 25 Foot Walk test)	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=180	Inclusion
MSFC (component of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Score) score for neurological disability: PASAT (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test) 3 sec for speed processing. Scale: min=0 ;max=60	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS)	Inclusion
10/36 Spatial Recall tests	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=30	Inclusion
RL/RI-16 memory test	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=100	Inclusion
Backward and forward verbal digit span test	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=48	Inclusion
Stroop test	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=100	Inclusion
Deno 80 test	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS). Scale: min=0 ;max=80	Inclusion
White matter lesion load on MRI	predictive value of imaging signatures (chronic active lesions, remyelination and prelesion areas) on the progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS)	Inclusion
Whole brain, white matter, deep grey matter and cortical atrophy on MRI	Progression between baseline (inclusion in a first study: FLUMATEP, INFLASEP or SHADOWTEP) and follow up (IMAGIN-DEAL in MS)	Inclusion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Bruno Stankoff, Pr, Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris; Study Director: Olivier Colliot, Mr, ARAMIS team (ICM) - Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 25, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 25, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 25, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 21, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 21, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): December 1, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 9, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: MRI; Multiple sclerosis (MS); RRMS; PET-MRI; long term predictive value
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System; Demyelinating Diseases; Multiple Sclerosis
• Other Study ID Numbers: APHP220766

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No