Overview (background and objectives)
The aim of this research is to understand why only a few EBV infected people develop MS, and define the underlying mechanism of this process. We will also investigate whether targeting the EBV infection with antiviral treatments can improve the disease course or stop disease progression.
Hovedinnhold
Background and aim
The research published in Science in 2022 shows that an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection greatly increases the risk of developing MS and that it is near impossible to develop MS without first being infected by the virus. The EBV infection, also known for causing mononucleosis, is very common (more than 95%) in the population. Almost all people with MS have been infected first by EBV, while only 0,2-0,3 percent of the people who have had EBV infection end up developing MS. There is currently no available preventive treatment against EBV infection nor MS.
The purpose of this EU funded research initiative is to uncover the role of EBV in multiple sclerosis, its onset and progression, especially in the light of recent research in EBV’s role in triggering the development of MS.
The aim of this research, led by the University of Bergen, is to understand why only a few EBV infected people develop MS, and define the underlying mechanism of this process. The research will also aim to investigate whether targeting the EBV infection with antiviral treatments can improve the disease course or stop disease progression.
Objectives
- To determine if EBV is a treatment target for people with MS in two clinical trials with antivirals as add-on treatments.
- To investigate the importance of EBV genome variations on EBV infection and immune response and analyse interactions between EBV variants and MS risk genetics to identify which EBV variant is relevant in MS.
- To characterise the time interval between EBV infection and the clinical onset of MS and identify drugs that modify this interval and evaluate whether these drugs predict MS progression.
- To identify the immune cell signatures associated with EBV infection in cohorts of treated people with MS, and to validate these signatures in clinical trials so they can be used to identify people at higher risk of development/progression of MS
- To develop prevention treatment strategies to detect individuals at high risk of developing MS and people with MS with high risk through machine learning models
