UZH researches risk factors for multiple sclerosis

(CONNECT) An international research team from Hefei in China, the University of Tübingen and Imperial College in London, led by the Institute of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich (UZH), has investigated links between infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and genetic constellations. This interaction makes it possible to develop multiple sclerosis, according to a press release.

Research shows that an EBV infection - known as mononucleosis - can lead to a strong immune response. As a result of this immune reaction, the body's own brain cell structures can also be altered via the HLA-DR15 molecule. Immune cells activated in this way produce a myelin protein, which is the target structure of MS. As a result, cells infected with protein fragments attack the myelin sheath of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, which can lead to neurological deficits such as paralysis, visual disturbances or exhaustion.

"In addition to an EBV infection, genetic risk factors are also involved - in particular the so-called HLA-DR15 haplotype," research director Roland Martin is quoted as saying in the press release. "Our results show how the most important risk factors from the environment and genes can jointly contribute to MS and trigger an autoimmune reaction against myelin components in the brain."

Research is currently being carried out into vaccination options against EBV infection, which is also responsible for other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus. The current study has been published by Cell Press. ce/ww