EBV and Multiple Sclerosis, A Journal Club Review

At Tisch MS Research Center of NY, we have long suspected the involvement of EBV in developing MS. Last week, the researchers at Tisch and clinicians at IMSMP gathered to present and discuss recent publications regarding Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and its link to MS. One article followed people who previously were not infected by EBV, and later showed evidence of infection just prior to MS diagnosis. This article shows that EBV infection occurs before MS onset in almost all cases. The other article, shown in this image, presents evidence that EBV infection may lead to antibody production that not only targets EBV but also targets human proteins. This research may help explain how EBV infection leads to the autoimmunity seen in MS. Both publications support the hypothesis that EBV is the cause of MS. These two articles further support our research into the cause of the disease at Tisch.