Longitudinal CSF and Serum Biomarker Dynamics in Tofersen-Treated SOD1-ALS: A Real-World Multicentre Cohort Study

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Abstract
Tofersen is a gene-targeted therapy for superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but neurofilament light chain (NfL) may not fully capture the biological response to treatment. We performed a multicentre retrospective longitudinal study including 24 patients with SOD1-ALS treated with intrathecal tofersen at four Italian referral centres between 2022 and 2025. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum biomarkers were assessed at baseline, month 3, month 6, and last available administration using single-molecule array assays to quantify NfL, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL–1), and total Tau. NfL decreased after treatment initiation in both CSF and serum, providing the clearest pharmacodynamic signal. In contrast, CSF GFAP increased progressively over follow-up, while CSF total Tau and UCHL–1 rose mainly at later timepoints; serum GFAP, total Tau, and UCHL–1 also showed increases during follow-up. ALS Functional Rating Scale–Revised trajectories were broadly stable, whereas disease progression rate was lower at last follow-up than at baseline. Greater reductions in CSF NfL were observed in pathogenic versus uncertain SOD1 variants, and early serum NfL and UCHL–1 changes were associated with longer-term changes in disease progression. These findings suggest that longitudinal multi-analyte profiling may refine biological response stratification beyond NfL alone in tofersen-treated SOD1-ALS.
Funding Information
  • AriSLA—Fondazione Italiana di Ricerca per la SLA
  • Giovanni Marazzina Foundation
  • Ministero della Salute (RF-2021-12373036)
  • Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena

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