progress in the fight against multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. “In this disease, it is our defense cells which usually serve to fight against infections, which will recognize normal constituents of our body. In this casethe myelin, which is the sheath around nerve fibers in the central nervous system”explains Céline Louapre, neurologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, invited to the 23h set of Franceinfo.

The discovery of the role that the Epstein-barr virus would play in the development of multiple sclerosis is a considerable advance. “We knew there was a correlation for almost 40 years. This study looked back at the biological data of a number of people and put things in order. First the infection, then the process pathological starts and years later the first symptoms appear”she continues.

“If we had a way to prevent infection, we could theoretically block the process upstream”emphasizes Céline Louapre. Block it, but also possibly cure it: “It is possible that during the disease, a certain number of lesions are maintained by the persistence of the virus in the cells. We could limit the activity of the disease by having a specific target on the lymphocytes infected by this virus”. The Moderna laboratory is in particular on the spot to try to find a vaccine against Epstein-Barr.