Biomarker test that detects multiple sclerosis activity will be available to N.B. patients in 2026

New Brunswick is on track to become a national leader in multiple sclerosis care.

Horizon and Vitalité Health Networks, and diagnostic company Roche Canada, are bringing multiple sclerosis testing directly to New Brunswick patients, so they won’t have to wait weeks for treatment.

The announcement was made at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, where the lab will gain the capabilities to do test.

Called the Neurofilament Light Chain (NfL) test, it measures proteins in the blood that can tell physicians how much of the disease is in the nervous system. It can provide the information early, which will allow a clinician to start a patient’s treatment as early as possible.

Right now, blood samples are being sent to Ottawa for the test. It can take six to eight weeks to get the results back and only certain patients who meet specific criteria get their samples tested.

It’s also expensive sending samples out-of-province, according to Horizon officials.

“Once we have an in-house, in the province, this test, when the patient comes to the emergency room we will send the blood test like any other blood test. And then we can have the results back in a timely fashion. And you can act on the treatment of this patient,” said Dr. Chadi Darwich, head of Neurology with Vitalité.

Dr. Darwich, who works with the MS clinic in Moncton, pushed for the province to allow the test to be accessible in New Brunswick.

Health Minister Dr. John Dornan couldn’t say exactly how much this will cost the province, only that there will be savings, too.

“The savings are in a more rapid diagnosis so that you are not waiting for an MRI. You have a test that gives you a result instantly. MRI is subject to interpretation and subject to delays. This gives us more rapid quantitative response on where you are with your MS,” he said.

About 2,000 New Brunswickers currently live with MS – one of the highest rates in the world.

Full implementation of the testing capabilities should be in place by 2026, which would make New Brunswick the only province – outside of Ottawa – that can do the test in the country.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.