When immune B-cells mistakenly recognize the body’s own nerve tissue, they can shut themselves down to prevent damage, but infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can trick B-cells into surviving and becoming activated in the brain instead of being eliminated by normal immune safety mechanisms, according to a study.
Epstein-Barr virus
A history of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) appears to alter the immune systems of people with specific genetic traits, causing their own cells to mistakenly flag brain proteins as dangerous threats, according to a new study. This discovery offers insight into how these risk factors — viral infection and…
A clinical trial is now recruiting participants to test whether an experimental vaccine for the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is safe and may help reduce disease activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Phase 2 study (NCT06735248) aims to enroll 180 adults, ages 18 to 55, with…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to have high levels of antibodies targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but levels of these antibodies are not associated with disease activity or clinical worsening among MS patients. That’s according to the study, “Evaluating the role of anti-EBV antibodies…
A research project to explore the genetic connection between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been awarded a $24,400 incubator grant by the nonprofit MS Australia. Titled “A novel use of human genetics to recruit participants for MS research,” the…
A common virus that causes cold sores, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), may contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). In mice lacking a protein that helps control HSV-1, infection led to the degradation of the…
Researchers have developed a blood test to identify people at risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) years before the first symptoms appear. The test, described in a recent study, looks for antibodies against a protein of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is a leading risk factor for MS.
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — a well-established risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) — is able to alter the movements of infected immune cells, a new study reveals. The findings shed new light on how EBV may set the stage for MS to develop, and could potentially form…
The risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) is significantly higher in people who carry a variant of the HLA gene called HLA-E*01:01 and have a history of infectious mononucleosis (mono), the manifestation of an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, according to a study based on U.K. Biobank data. The higher…
A pair of scientists have been awarded a 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for their work uncovering factors that give rise to multiple sclerosis (MS), paving the way for new therapeutic developments. Sometimes referred to as the “Oscars of Science,” Breakthrough Prizes are given each year to…
Antibodies that target proteins from the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) also can inadvertently attack proteins in the brain, which may help to explain the link between EBV and multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. Findings also indicate that antibodies targeting EBV as well as a person’s genetics both…
In the lymph nodes of the neck of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), certain immune cells show abnormalities in activity and signs of reactions against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a new study reports. The findings may help to explain the connection between MS and EBV, researchers said. The study,…
Immune cells from people with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibit distinct gene activity just before patients have a disease relapse, according to recent research. The observed immune perturbations, which are no longer observed by the time the relapse is actively underway, are consistent with the body’s response to a reactivation…
A Phase 1 clinical trial that is investigating a new vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a well-established risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), in healthy volunteers has dosed its first participant. The vaccine, called MDX2201, is being developed by Modex Therapeutics, an Opko Health company,…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have elevated immune responses to more proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) than previously thought, according to a new study. EBV-specific immune T-cells isolated from MS patients could also respond to multiple proteins found in the brain, particularly those associated with myelin,…
Dormant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) becomes activated during periods of disease relapse in multiple sclerosis (MS) and triggers inflammatory activity in multiple types of immune cells, a study suggested. Blocking EBV activation can reduce the inflammatory activity of immune cells, supporting the idea that targeting the dormant virus may…
Scientists have created an assay that can measure immune cells’ inflammatory attack against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a known risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers found preliminary evidence that some MS treatments, but not others, may alter the immune system’s response to EBV. The scientists said the…
Using antibodies against a viral protein that’s needed for the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to invade human cells was found to successfully prevent viral infections and EBV-associated cancer in mice in a new study. By identifying sites where these antibodies bind to the viral protein — called gp42 — researchers…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have high levels of T-cells in their spinal fluid that specifically target cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a new study. These T-cells were found in samples collected from patients during their diagnostic workup in the early stages of…
Natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell, are critical for preventing an immune response against an infecting virus from triggering multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. “Our study demonstrates that the main protective factors against MS are distinct cytotoxic [cell-killing] NK cell responses,” the researchers wrote…
The European Union (EU) is providing 7.1 million euros (about $7.6 million) over five years to a global interdisciplinary consortium that seeks to identify the causes of multiple sclerosis (MS) — with a particular focus on viruses — and find new treatments for the disease. The “BEHIND MS”…
EBV-001, a vaccine candidate being developed by EBViously to target the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), triggered the production of potent antibodies against the virus in mice, and blood samples from these animals prevented EBV infection in lab-grown human cells. That’s according to new data presented by the company, which is…
Using a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to prevent the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly likely to be cost-effective, especially when given in early adolescence, according to an Australian modeling study. “The evidence from this study highlights the urgent need for the development of an EBV…
ATA188, an experimental cell therapy targeting the Epstein-Barr virus, failed to outperform a placebo at easing disability levels in people with nonactive progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to data from the Phase 2 portion of the EMBOLD clinical trial. The medication also showed no signs of…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. This week, the stories cover research presented at the joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and the…
New research by scientists in Austria may shed light on the link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), and explain why only some people infected with EBV — previously found to raise the risk of MS by 32 times — go on to develop the neurodegenerative disorder. Distinct…
Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may prime the immune system to accidentally attack a brain protein called ANO2, new research shows. The findings may explain how EBV infection can lead to developing multiple sclerosis (MS), at least in some patients. Daniel Jons, PhD, a scientist at the…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Is it MS or something else? Should all autoimmune diseases that damage myelin be called MS? Probably not, according…
Researchers have developed a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) — a leading environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) — that induced durable immune responses in mice. If it’s moved to the clinic, the vaccine could help prevent infections that drive MS and certain cancers, according to…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: A closer look at the EBV-MS link Much has been written over the past few years about the…