Groundbreaking Epstein-Barr virus vaccine may prevent MS

After a landmark study published last year found that the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) increased 32-fold after infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute set about developing a vaccine against the virus.

A member of the herpes family of viruses, EBV is carried by about 95% of the population. Most are infected during childhood, after which time the virus lays dormant. But infection in adolescence or early adulthood can cause infectious mononucleosis, “mono” or glandular fever, which is considered a major risk factor in developing EBV-related diseases, including MS. In addition, EBV has been associated with multiple types of lymphoma and nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) cancer.

While preexisting antibodies produced by B cells are known to provide a defense against acute viral infection (humoral immunity), research has shown that effective long-term control depends on the cellular immunity provided by so-called killer T cells, which are responsible for destroying virus-infected cells. So, the researchers designed a vaccine that targets both arms of the immune system.

Testing their vaccine by injecting it into the lymph nodes of mice, where the immune response is initiated, the researchers found it produced potent humoral and cellular immunity during primary and latent infection with EBV that was sustained for over seven months. The immune response produced by the vaccine also eliminated or significantly delayed the growth of EBV-positive lymphoma tumor cells in lab models.

Image source: QIMR Berghofer.