Epstein-Barr is primarily known as the cause of mononucleosis. It infects immune cells in the body and proliferates those cells abnormally. It is mainly associated with a sore throat and upper respiratory symptoms.
Currently, no approved vaccine protects against Epstein-Barr virus, which has infected more than 95% of adults worldwide.
EBV is also the first human virus associated with cancers, primarily lymphomas, and gastric cancers. The virus causes more than 200,000 cases of cancer every year.
More recently, researchers also have learned that a person’s risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases 32-fold if they’ve been infected with Epstein-Barr.
The Epstein-Barr virus is a bit tricky to prevent because it lives in immune cells that produce antibodies, and epithelial cells that line the internal and external surfaces of the body. It’s believed that EBV triggers MS by tricking the immune system into attacking the body’s nerve cells.
These new vaccines are genetically modified to induce an immune response that would block infection of both cell types, through a carrier called ferritin.
“That allows us to damp down any foothold the virus may be able to take in establishing itself in the body,” said Dr. Gary Nabel, president and CEO of ModeX Therapeutics, a small biotech startup in Natick, Mass.
The immune system sees the viral infection proteins and mounts a response that theoretically would protect against future infection by the real virus. The vaccines prompted strong antibody responses in mice, ferrets, and monkeys.
However, it’s important to note that results obtained from animal studies aren’t always replicated in humans. Researchers hope to start human clinical trials for the vaccines within a year.
Source: Medindia
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