Study backs Alterity’s innovative tool in diagnosing and monitoring MSA disease progression

Promising new research shows Alterity’s novel brain imaging tool could play a key role in diagnosing and tracking Multiple System Atrophy.

The MSA Atrophy Index could play a key role in diagnosing MSA and tracking progression. Pic via Getty Images

Special Report: Alterity Therapeutics has unveiled promising new research showing its novel brain imaging tool could play a key role in diagnosing and tracking Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare and aggressive neurodegenerative disease.

• Quality peer-reviewed publication highlights use of Alterity’s MSA Atrophy Index developed to diagnose and track MSA disease progression
• Tool helps pinpoint changes in brain over time, making it easier to detect disease progression and assess treatments
• MSA Atrophy Index developed as part of Alterity’s bioMUSE natural history study with Vanderbilt University Medical Center

The peer-reviewed study, published in peer-reviewed journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, highlights a new MRI-based measure called the MSA Atrophy Index (MSA-AI) – developed as part of Alterity Therapeutics’ (ASX:ATH) bioMUSE natural history study. 

Using artificial intelligence (AI), the tool helps pinpoint changes in the brain over time, making it easier to detect disease progression and assess how well treatments are working.

MSA-AI offers a standardised way to measure brain shrinkage in regions affected by the disease, regardless of the subtype. 

This makes it a useful tool for both diagnosing patients earlier and improving how clinical trial participants are selected.

The study combined data from both early-stage and more advanced MSA patients, capturing a wide range of disease severity. 

The approach has helped researchers confirm that the MSA-AI could reliably track changes in brain volume over time and differentiate MSA from other similar neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

Importantly, lower MSA-AI scores were linked to more severe symptoms and greater disease progression over 12 months, highlighting the tool’s potential value in future clinical trials and patient care.

About the bioMUSE study

Titled Biomarkers of Progression in Multiple System Atrophy (bioMUSE), the natural history study tracks the progression of individuals with MSA, a Parkinsonian disorder without an approved therapy.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the US under the direction of Daniel Claassen M.D, M.S, professor of neurology and principal investigator.

Alterity noted that natural history studies were important for characterising disease progression in selected patient populations. 

Insights into early-stage MSA

The company said the study had provided rich data for optimising the design of its randomised ATH434-201 phase II clinical trial and had enrolled ~20 individuals with clinically probable or clinically established MSA.

The bioMUSE study continues to provide critical insights into early-stage MSA, helping select biomarkers and track disease progression in patients like those in its phase II trial.

“This research used state-of-the-art technology employed in the bioMUSE study that goes above and beyond traditional MRI methods for assessing brain volume in patients with MSA,” Alterity’s US-based CEO Dr David Stamler said.

“Based on the creativity and technical skill of our colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, we now have superior tools for diagnosing MSA and tracking brain atrophy over time. 

“Importantly, we observed that statistically significant reductions in brain volume over 12 months correlated with clinical worsening of the disease.”

Stamler said the results underscore importance of using advanced neuroimaging methods and analytical tools in evaluating MSA, which Alterity implemented in its phase II clinical program.

“While previous MRI studies have reported brain volume reductions in MSA-affected brain regions, tracking these changes reliably has been challenging,” he said. 

Stamler said development of the MSA Atrophy Index can enhance the understanding of MSA progression and provide support for using brain atrophy markers for evaluation of disease-modifying therapies. 

“These tools offer potential applications in diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of disease severity, contributing to more personalised care in MSA,” he said. 

“We look forward to leveraging this invaluable technology for patient selection and disease progression in our phase III clinical trial.” 

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Originally published as Study backs Alterity’s innovative tool in diagnosing and monitoring MSA disease progression