Sanofi’s experimental drug for a form of multiple sclerosis delayed the progression of disability by nearly a third, providing hope for patients for whom there’s currently no treatment.

Sanofi said on Friday that its multiple sclerosis drug candidate was shown to delay worsening of a progressive form of the disease by 31%, as the French drugmaker eyes a request for approval later this year.

Rutgers Health researchers will enroll primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (p-MS) patients to see if an engineered immune cell therapy can halt the progression of the autoimmune disease.

Researchers have identified biomarkers that can predict disease progression in multiple sclerosis, which could lead to the development of more personalized treatment strategies.

Tolebrutinib delayed the onset of disability progression by 31% for patients with a type of the disease called non-relapsing secondary progressive MS, according to data from a late stage trial presented Friday, Sept. 20, at a research congress in Copenhagen. The results confirm topline findings published on Sept. 2.

After missing primary endpoints in relapsing forms of MS, tolebrutinib has proved its efficacy in secondary progressive MS patients.