Recently the news of the multiple sclerosis vaccine has reached the media. Although it is undoubtedly great news, certain details must be taken into account before celebrating it. The new one has appeared after the publication in the journal Science Translational Medicine of the positive results obtained in the trials of a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus in humanized mice. The team of scientists is made up of researchers from the US National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
A vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus, not against multiple sclerosis.
The first thing to keep in mind is that this vaccine seeks to neutralize not multiple sclerosis (MS), but the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is linked to numerous diseases. EBV is one of the main causes of mononucleosis, but it can also cause lymphomas and gastric cancers. It is estimated that 200,000 cases of cancer per year are caused by this virus. It is one of the most prevalent viruses in humans, but its infection often goes unnoticed, that is, they are asymptomatic infections.
So why is it said to be against Sclerosis?
Recently, EBV has also been linked to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). It was in a study published in the journal Science, carried out over 20 years with volunteers from the US Army. Those in charge of the study observed that in those who had been infected by EBV the probability of suffering from MS was multiplied by 32 MS appears due to the deterioration of the membrane that covers part of the neurons, the myelin, throughout the central nervous system.
If it is able to prevent EBV infection, it is expected that the vaccine will be able to prevent EBV-related diseases. In the press release published giving an account of the finding, it is explained that the “candidate vaccine” is capable of reducing the virulence of EBV, which would reduce infectious mononucleosis and “possibly” EBV-associated cancers. The language used by the scientists themselves calls for caution.
If it’s so widespread, how come we didn’t have a vaccine already?
Given the prevalence of EBV and the seriousness of some of the diseases with which it is associated, the authors of the study draw attention to the absence of vaccines against this virus. This development is not, however, the only proposed candidate.
Moderna, one of the companies that developed messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against the Coronavirus. This candidate (which has received the aseptic name of mRNA-1189) is based on precisely the same technology. It entered Phase 1 in January, that is, it has already been administered to a very limited number of people in order to check if it does not generate relevant adverse effects before proceeding with more massive trials.
How does this new vaccine work?
The formula proposed in the new vaccine candidate, on the other hand, is based on a pair of nanoparticles that self-assemble and present proteins that allow the virus to enter cells. The presence of these proteins in the body forces the creation of antibodies that protect against the virus.
animal models.
According to the article, the treatment generated an immune response in mice, ferrets and non-human primates. The next step was the use of humanized mice, laboratory mice that contain some biological trait of human origin. It is therefore a vaccine still in an early stage of development.
Specifically in the so-called preclinical phase, which implies that it still has a long way to go before it can be approved for the public. Vaccine development was sped up a lot to get to the Covid vaccine, but authorities are unlikely to give this serum the same level of urgency. In any case, a minimum of three phases of experimentation in people remain ahead to ensure its safety and efficacy in humans.
