Alterity Therapeutics announces publication on MRI endpoint from bioMUSE study

Alterity Therapeutics (ATHE) announced that a neuroimaging measure developed in Alterity’s Biomarkers of Progression in Multiple System Atrophy Natural History Study was featured in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology. The publication, entitled “The MSA Atrophy Index: An Imaging Marker for Diagnosis and Clinical Progression in Multiple System Atrophy,” describes how deep learning methods, a form of artificial intelligence, were used to precisely define the neuroanatomy of key regions in the brain and the development of a novel brain atrophy measure for tracking disease progression in MSA patients over one year. The results were then correlated with clinical measures of disease severity over the same timeframe. The MSA-AI offers an objective, quantifiable measure of brain atrophy in regions commonly affected by MSA, streamlining the evaluation of disease progression and treatment response. This is especially valuable in MSA, where early diagnosis is often hindered by overlapping features with Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The MSA-AI provides a phenotype-independent assessment, making it applicable to both MSA-P and MSA-C, despite differing atrophy patterns. By offering a standardized metric of structural change, the MSA-AI has potential to support earlier, more accurate diagnosis and improve clinical trial participant selection. By leveraging a longitudinal cohort from bioMUSE and a cross-sectional cohort including individuals with more advanced MSA, the study captured a broad spectrum of clinical severity and atrophy patterns. This complementary design allowed the authors to assess both early and established disease, strengthening the generalizability of the findings. MSA patients exhibited significantly lower MSA-AI scores compared to all other diagnostic groups. The MSA-AI effectively distinguished MSA from related synucleinopathies, correlated with baseline clinical severity, and predicted disease progression. Longitudinal reductions in MSA-AI were associated with worsening clinical scores over 12 months.