Multiple Sclerosis Treatment : Is It A Game Changer?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition that affects the central nervous system (CNS). It is characterized by the immune system attacking myelin sheaths — fatty layers that surround nerve fibers and enable them to communicate.  

A phase 1 clinical trial by an immunotherapy company suggests that latent Epstein-Barr (EBV) infections are viable targets for treating MS in at least some patients, reinforcing a curious link between the virus and a deadly illness that affects millions around the world. Importantly, there were no signs of serious side effects.

But there's good reason to think targeting the dormant virus could be key to putting the brakes on a particular aspect of MS. As far back as the early 1980s medical researchers were noticing that an inordinate number of blood samples from people with MS had elevated levels of Epstein-Barr virus antibodies.

Around 95 percent of people catch EBV at some point in their lives; the virus, also known as human herpes virus 4, causes the illness known as mono, or glandular fever.

Symptoms are rarely severe, but the virus sticks around in the body, ready for potential future reactivation. The consequences of its reappearance range from benign to deadly, although most people don't notice if EBV pipes up again.

Promising as these results might seem, the path from small clinical trials to approved medicine is a rocky one..