March 19, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Antibodies against EBV viral protein help prevent infection in mice 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 ā called gp42 ā researchers…
November 15, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD EBV vaccine expected to be cost-effective in preventing MS: Study Using a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to prevent the development ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly likely to be cost-effective, especially when given in early adolescence, according to an Australian modeling study. āThe evidence from this study highlights the urgent need for the development of an EBV…
November 10, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ATA188 fails to outperform placebo in EMBOLD clinical trial 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…
October 18, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: New research may help explain EBV and MS link New research by scientists in Austria may shed light on the link between theĀ Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) andĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), and explain why only some people infected with EBV ā previously found to raise the risk of MSĀ by 32 times ā go on to develop the neurodegenerative disorder. Distinct…
February 20, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD ACTRIMS 2023: Forum opens Thursday with theme of ‘going viral’ The multiple sclerosis (MS) community is gearing up for the eighth annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, taking place this week both virtually and in San Diego, California. The yearly meeting, occurring Feb. 23-25 at theĀ Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, is bringing together…
December 7, 2022 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Tevogen Plans Novel T-cell Therapies Aimed at EBV in MS, Cancer Tevogen Bio has announced plans to develop T-cell therapies targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a herpes virus known to be a major environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision comes on the heels of positive safety data from a proof-of-concept Phase 1 Tevogen trial that…
November 8, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD NMSS Grant Supports Work Into Epstein-Barr Virus as MS Trigger AĀ National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyĀ grant is supporting an Australian-led research team aiming to better understand how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may be acting as a trigger for multiple sclerosis (MS). The funding will particularly be used to understand what molecules are being targeted by lymphocytes, immune cells that…
October 17, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News Notes: Cholesterol and MS Progression, Fatigue, Epstein-Barr Note: This column has been updated Oct. 18, 2022, to correct the name of the cholesterolĀ medicine the columnist uses to Pravachol.Ā Here are a few multiple sclerosis (MS) stories that caught my eye last week: Low cholesterol and aggressive MS progression The story “Low Cholesterol May Reflect More…
October 12, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD EBV Antibodies Found at Increased Levels in MS Patients in Study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are significantly more likely to have antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ā the strongest risk factor for the disease ā than healthy individuals, as well as higher levels of these antibodies, according to a Spanish study. All MS patients were positive for anti-EBV…
October 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Partnership Aims at Cell Therapy Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus in MS NexImmune is working with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop cell therapies for people with immunological disorders associated with certain viral infections, namely the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). A history of infection with EBV ā mostly…
September 19, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: EBV, Stem Cell Transplant, NurOwn, Progression Without Relapse T-cells Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus at High Levels in MS Patients The evidence of a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to mount. The current thinking is that the immune responses that fight EBV may drive the attacks against the myelin nerve coating, which is…
September 13, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS T-cells Targeting Epstein-Barr Virus at High Levels in MS Patients People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have significantly more T-cells equipped with receptors that specifically recognize the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) than do healthy individuals, a study revealed. Notably, no such differences were detected for T-cells with receptors specifically against other viruses. These findings add to previous data highlightingĀ EBV infection…
August 29, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr, Aqua Exercise, Diagnosing SPMS, Myelin Repair Epstein-Barr Virus and MS Risk: New Link to Mono Found in Study Add this study to the mounting evidence that there’s some type of association between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ā the virus associated with mononucleosis ā and multiple sclerosis. I’ve never had mono, but several people with…
August 25, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Epstein-Barr Virus and MS Risk: New Link to Mono Found in Study People who had infectious mononucleosis ā a contagious disease for which the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the leading cause ā had a higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the 10 years following diagnosis compared with individuals not diagnosed with the virus, a study found. This link was particularly…
August 11, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD PAS002 Vaccine Shows Efficacy in MS Mouse Model Pasithea Therapeutics investigational multiple sclerosis vaccine, PAS002, effectively delayed disease onset and reduced disease severity in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition, according to data from a preclinical study. The vaccine, which is designed to promote immune tolerance to a specific myelin protein, also reduced the severity…
July 18, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: ATA188 in Progressive MS, Early Symptoms, Yoga, Rituximab EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead Is this another small step toward an MS cure? AT188 is an experimental therapy designed to kill cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). As you probably know, researchers have found a lot of evidence that EBV is connected…
July 14, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS EMBOLD Study of ATA188 in Progressive MS Is Given Go-ahead An independent committee of experts has recommended that the Phase 2 portion of the EMBOLD clinical trial continue as planned without a sample size adjustment, following an analysis of safety and effectiveness data. The trial is testing Atara Biotherapeutics‘ experimental medication ATA188 in progressive forms of multiple…
May 13, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias Hunt for EBV Vaccine Gets a Boost From NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is joining the search for a vaccine to attack the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This is a big deal for people with multiple sclerosis, because carrying the virus is thought to play a significant role in the development of MS. In fact,…
April 19, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Atara Planning Phase 3 Trials of ATA188 in Non-active SPMS, PPMS Atara BiotherapeuticsĀ plans to launch two Phase 3 clinical trials of its investigational immunotherapy ATA188 in people with non-active, progressive forms of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Whether efforts for these trials will go forward, however, depends on positive results from an interim analysis of the Phase 2 portion of the…
April 13, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Australia Sets Aside $18M to Support MS Trials, EBV Research The Australian government has announced that a record AU$18 million (about $13.5 million) from the Medical Research Future Fund will be used to support research intoĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) as part of its 2022ā23 budget. Grant opportunities willĀ focus on increasing access to clinical trials and speeding the development of effective…
February 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Atara, Fujifilm Enter Deal to Produce Cell Therapies Atara Biotherapeutics has reached an agreement withĀ Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies for the production of its cell therapy pipeline, including ATA188, an experimental therapy being investigated for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Under the agreement, Fujifilm will acquire Ataraās T-Cell Operations and Manufacturing (ATOM) facility in Thousand…
January 31, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 Booster, EBV Treatment, Childhood MS Risks, Vitamin D COVID-19 Booster May Benefit Patients on Anti-CD20 Therapy After multiple reports of how Gilenya and anti-CD20 MS medications reduce the efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, here’s more evidence that a booster shot may improve that protection. The researchers report “modestly increased levels” of antiāSARS-CoV-2 antibodies after a third…
January 25, 2022 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Tevogen to Develop T-cell Therapy That Might Prevent EBV Infection Tevogen Bio is planning to make use of its virus-fighting immune cell technology and turn it against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus thought to greatly increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). The technology employs off-the-shelf cytotoxic T-cells ā a type of white blood cell that can…
January 25, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Study Explains How Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Could Cause MS Similarities between an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein and a brainĀ protein called GlialCAM may explain why EBV infection increases the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), results from a new study show. Due to the structural resemblance of the two proteins, B-cells ā a type of immune cell that is critical…
January 21, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias An Epstein-Barr Virus Primer for MS Patients You may have heard about the research that’s just been published about the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study reports that being infected by EBV raises the risk of developing MS by 32 times. This isn’t a small or…
January 17, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr Virus, EHP-101, Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gut Bacteria Epstein-Barr Virus May be Leading Cause of MS, Raising Risk by 32 Times Several studies over the past few years have suggested a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but this one is huge, both in the number of participants and in the length…
January 14, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Epstein-Barr Virus May Be Leading Cause of MS, Raising Risk by 32 Times Infection with the common Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) increases the risk of developingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) by 32 times ā the strongest link yet ā according to a study looking at two decades of data from more than 10 million U.S. military members. āThe hypothesis that EBV causes MS has been…
November 19, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias Can Focusing on the Epstein-Barr Virus Help Researchers Fight MS? There are continuing signals that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a fuel that can spark a multiple sclerosis (MS) fire. EBV is a herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, more commonly known as mono. Sometimes called the “kissing disease” because the virus that causes it is easily spread through saliva,…
November 1, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Mono and MS, Cold and Inflammation, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, MS Smartwatch Mono as Child or Teenager Tied to Risk of MS as Adult in Large Study There’s been a lot of buzz about this study, but I don’t think anyone should be surprised about its results. For years, researchers have suspected a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ā the…
October 28, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Mono as Child or Teenager Tied to Risk of MS as Adult in Large Study People who contract infectious mononucleosis ā colloquially known as “mono” ā during childhood or adolescence are at a roughly two to three times greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as adults, a large population-based study suggests. Notably, the study points to mono itself ā independent of other factors…