For decades, scientists have known that infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the strongest risk factors for developing multiple sclerosis (MS). But an important question has remained: How does a virus carried by more than 90 per cent of adults contribute to a disease that affects only a small fraction of people?
A new review led by Dr. Jan Lünemann, UBC Chair in Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology Research and Director of the MS and Neuromyelitis Optica Program at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, explores recent breakthroughs that are helping answer this question. Published in The Lancet Neurology, the review highlights how research has moved beyond simply identifying a link between EBV and MS to uncovering how the virus may contribute to disease and how these discoveries could lead to new treatments and prevention strategies.
“We now know that EBV can trigger immune responses that mistakenly recognize proteins in the brain, reshape B cell biology in ways that promote autoimmunity and potentially sustain chronic immune activation within the brain and spinal cord,” says Dr. Lünemann, who was recently featured on The Lancet Neurology’s podcast. “The challenge now is to understand precisely how it drives disease susceptibility and how these insights can be translated into therapies or perhaps even preventive strategies.”
