Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is assigned a role that has not yet been elucidated. Researchers have now succeeded in identifying several mechanisms that protect people against an EBV-induced autoimmune reaction and therefore possibly against MS.
To date, the underlying cause of MS is not fully understood, but a link to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has long been suspected.
In most patients who develop MS, specific immune responses against EBV can be detected, which also target certain structures of the central nervous system and thus contribute to the development of MS.
In particular, it was not yet clear why, although almost all people become infected with EBV during their lives, the virus only causes MS in a few people.
Possible principles for the development of a vaccination to protect against MS can be derived from the research currently published in the journal “Cell”.
The study authors identified a subset of the human immune system’s ‘natural killer cells’ as a potential key factor in protecting against MS disease.
“These immune responses could therefore play a crucial role in the development of future vaccines,” says the study’s first author, Hannes Vietzen from the Center for Virology, describing the new possibilities.
Source: Krone
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