Scientists want to tackle multiple sclerosis by treating the kissing virus

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around 1.8m people worldwide. Symptoms include fatigue, blurred vision, and trouble walking. Eventually, some people become severely disabled and complications from the condition can lead to death. There is currently no cure, and few treatments for advanced stages of the disease. But a series of recent findings have led to a tantalising idea—could a vaccine against a common virus finally consign MS to the history books?

MS occurs when a patient’s immune system attacks their myelin, the fatty tissue that insulates the nerve cells of their brain and spinal cord and which enables those cells to pass on electrical signals. Most existing treatments focus on modulating or suppressing a patient’s immune system. Trials of a new type of immunotherapy, for example, known as CAR-T, have recently begun. The treatment, which scientists hope could stop the progression of MS, involves removing a patient’s immune cells, editing the DNA within, and then reinjecting the cells.