NfL in Real-World Clinical Settings

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein has been well studied in a broad array of neurodegenerative diseases for years, and yet the specific parameters of its use in clinical settings have not yet been well established. Recently, Labcorp made NfL widely available as an orderable lab test for clinicians nationwide, but its prior unavailability has left questions about how it can be practically employed in patient workups and monitoring. Still, clinicians are beginning to use NfL and are learning about how it can provide useful and important information for patient care.

Register to understand what neurofilament light chain is and its importance in neurology, and ways that it may be practically used in patients with multiple sclerosis, concussion and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Speakers

Dr. Michelle Mielke, PhD, Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Michelle M. Mielke, Ph.D is Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention and Professor of Epidemiology and of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Mielke works as a translational epidemiologist to further understanding of the etiology and epidemiology of neurodegenerative and other aging-related diseases.  One focus of her research is understanding the utility of blood-based biomarkers for implementation at the population-level for screening and diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She is the past chair of the Biofluid-Based Biomarker Professional Interest Area under the Alzheimer’s Association and co-leads a working group focusing on the Impact of Comorbidities on AD Biomarkers (ICAB). Another focus of Dr. Mielke’s research is on understanding sex and gender differences in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and of other aging-related conditions. She directs the Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences. Dr. Mielke is co-Chair of the Sex and Gender Diversity Group for the Alzheimer’s Association Professional Interest Area. She received the John R. Raymond Mentor Award from the Women Scholars Initiative.

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Dr. Nicholas Streicher, MD, MPH, MedStar Washington Hospital Center

Nicholas Streicher, MD, MPH, is an attending neurologist affiliated with MedStar Washington Hospital Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Health at Lafayette Centre. He is fellowship-trained in both sports neurology and neuromuscular medicine. Dr. Streicher sees patients for specialized neurology issues, such as concussions within the athletic population, and sees patients for all neuromuscular diseases, ranging from numbness and weakness to more severe diseases, like motor neuron disease and muscular dystrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Streicher’s research interests include concussions (presentation, recovery, and therapeutic interventions), discovering new therapeutic targets for ALS and neuromuscular disorders, and finally, data analytics and data collaboration for all of medicine and neurology. Dr. Streicher received his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine and completed his residency training in neurology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He then completed a specialty fellowship in sports neurology at the University of Michigan before completing a second specialty fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery / Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, New York. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Medical Association, and the American Headache Society.

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Dr. Asya Wallach, MD, MS Center Physician, Holy Name Medical Center

Asya Wallach, MD, is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in Multiple Sclerosis. She practices at the Alfiero & Lucia Palestroni Foundation Multiple Sclerosis Center of Holy Name hospital in Teaneck, NJ, where she sees patients with MS, NMOSD, MOGAD and related conditions. Dr. Wallach earned her medical degree at NYU School of Medicine, after receiving her bachelor’s degree at Columbia University. She completed her Internal Medicine training at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, and Neurology Residency and MS Fellowship at NYU. She has published in various areas of clinical interest including diagnostic challenges in autoimmune neurology, MS/NMO therapeutics and COVID-19.

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(Moderator) Dr. Joe Volpe, PhD, Scientific Discipline Director, Labcorp

Dr. Volpe graduated from Duke University in 2008 with PhD in computational immunology. His research involved developing a software algorithm to decipher the germline origins of human immunoglobulin and T-cell receptors and then using that software to analyze large data sets of human antibodies to understand their diversity. He received the American Association of Immunologists-Huang Foundation Young Investigator Award in 2007 for his work in anti-HIV antibody composition. Upon graduating, Dr. Volpe worked as a Medical Science Liaison at Monogram Biosciences, a Labcorp subsidiary, where he covered the Southeast and Midwest territories. In early 2016 he became the Director of Scientific Outreach, helping to build the Medical Science Liaison team for Labcorp. In early 2018, Dr Volpe began working on building Labcorp’s Neurology program, for which he is now the scientific Discipline Director and the Business Segment Director. He is a two-time Labcorp Chairman’s Award winner (2021 and 2011) and was also the Monogram Biosciences MVP awardee in 2011. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

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