Genetics

This blog post examines a multiomic study of multiple sclerosis brain lesions that combines mass spectrometry–based metabolomics with single-nucleus RNA sequencing. The research identifies pronounced lipid abnormalities, including increased sphingolipids and reduced lysophospholipids, endocannabinoids, unsaturated fatty acids, and energy-related metabolites. These metabolic changes were most severe in lesion cores and were closely associated with inflammatory astrocytes and immune cells, oligodendrocyte loss, impaired myelination, and altered lipid-biosynthesis programs. The findings provide new insight into the biochemical organization of chronic MS lesions and highlight lipid metabolism as a potential link between neuroinflammation, demyelination, and failed tissue repair.