- Researchers have developed a vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is associated with a 32-fold increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS).
- They found that the vaccine induced robust immunity against EBV in mice that lasted for seven months.
- Further testing is needed to understand how these findings apply to humans.
A groundbreaking new vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus could pave the way for better prevention and treatment options for diseases such as multiple sclerosis and various cancers.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a member of the herpesvirus family.About
It is usually infected in childhood and remains dormant in B cells throughout life. B cells are key immune cells that generate antibody responses to other infections.
EBV is usually spread through saliva. Soon after infection, patients usually have asymptomatic or mild symptoms.While most people are not affected by the virus, it can develop
IM is a major risk factor for EBV-related diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Hodgkin lymphoma. A recent study found that people infected with EBV are more likely to develop this risk than other viruses.
EBV is also associated with lymphoid and epithelial cancers, and is responsible for approximately 1.5% of human cancer cases worldwide.
There are currently no medical interventions for EBV. Developing such interventions could reduce the incidence of Epstein-Barr virus-related diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and various cancers.
Recently, researchers developed a vaccine that confers immunity against EBV in mice for seven months.
“This study provides a potential mechanism to address the issue of EBV reactivation, which may provide hope for diseases where it is thought that this may be part of the disease process,” said Dr. Thomas Guth, associate director of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital. (Thomas Gut) was not involved in this study.research tells Medical News Today.
The study was published in
Developing a vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus has historically been challenging because it changes during its life cycle. Additionally, since the virus itself can cause the development of tumors, incorporating entire parts of its viral proteins into vaccines may increase cancer risk.
To overcome these problems, the researchers incorporated 20 epitopes (small amino acid sequences that activate an immune response) into their vaccine formulation. Each epitope targets a protein expressed by EBV at a different stage of its life cycle.
The researchers also designed a new adjuvant to accompany the vaccine to improve its efficacy.
To understand how the vaccine worked, they tested it on mice genetically modified to have human-like immune systems. These mice included mice that had just been infected with the virus and mice that had been infected with the virus previously and therefore had the virus latent in their B cells.
Ultimately, they found that the vaccine produced a strong immune response that lasted seven months in both groups of mice. This means the vaccine helps induce neutralizing antibodies that prevent the virus from entering B cells, and induces a killer T cell immune response that destroys infected B cells.
Dr. Howard Pratt, a psychiatrist and board-certified medical director at Community Health Inc. (CHI) of South Florida, who was not involved in the study, tells us motor neurons:
“B cells are usually the main first line of defense against acute viral infections, and most vaccines target these cells. Now, what’s different about this vaccine is that it (also) focuses on T cells, which are responsible for killing the infected cells and ensure we have long-term immunity.”
Dr. Rajiv Khanna, corresponding author of the study and professor of tumor immunology at QIMR Berghofer Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, said in a press release:
“Our vaccine formulation induces killer T cell immune responses as well as neutralizing antibody immune responses.
We believe that in susceptible individuals, EBV-infected B cells enter the brain and cause inflammation and damage. If we could prevent this in the early stages of infection, infected B cells would not go on to contribute to the development of secondary diseases such as multiple sclerosis. “
Dr Platt said: “This study was limited to injecting the EVB vaccine into the lymph nodes of mice. We won’t have a better understanding of how well it works for us until we see trials in humans.”
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection, prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, who was not involved in the study, told CNN motor neurons The vaccine’s long-term efficacy in preventing EBV-related disease remains unknown.
“In addition, we should remember that vaccines do not prevent infection – they prevent disease and the severity of disease if one is infected with a pathogen. So the important thing about this vaccine is that by inducing the powerful B cell and T-cell immunity, which may protect against possible EBV-related diseases, such as certain cancers, as people age,” he added.
Asked about the significance of the study, Dr Hodgkinson said: “This study could be early research into creating a new vaccine that could help reduce the risk of infection after infection, even years or days after infection. A decade of disease caused by EBV.”
Dr. Pratt agreed that the vaccine has the potential to prevent Epstein-Barr virus-related illness. He added that given the strong link between Epstein-Barr virus and the incidence of multiple sclerosis, if the vaccine is effective in humans, it could be a “major breakthrough” for multiple sclerosis.
“What’s also exciting is that, if proven effective, the vaccine could help treat more than just multiple sclerosis, given that EVB is linked to many other diseases. For example, it could reduce the risk of certain cancers and several other diseases related to EBV ,” he concluded.