Multi-disciplinary Research

I think cure-time is coming soon.

The environmental factors are not elucidated in the abstract, other than that it sounds like they might be being equated with EBV. There might be some outside component besides that, affecting one's response to EBV, that is also significant, but it looks to me like the genetic factors and the virus have both been well identified. I would say that between the Buffalo team and the UK post-mortem study there has been confirmation and further progress. They have associated genetic type, EBV infection, disability, brain atrophy and brain lesions with MS.

How you get the EBV infection and your susceptibility to the 'complication' of MS onset are possibly relevant, but the "Cure" looks to be: anti-EBV protection for those who are the right genetic type (sunlight may help confer this), anti-EBV agents for those who are the right genetic type *and* have already been or are still infected, and anti-EBV agents for those already diagnosed with the further problem, MS.

To repair damage already done by the person's own EBV response (i.e., MS), especially those with higher levels of disability progression, some form of myelin treatment (I have read of at least one that looks hopeful) or a stem-cell based treatment is probably necessary. The HSCT (homologous stem cell treatment) trials I have heard of have had success, some better than others, and some fatality has occurred. The successful stories have youth and MS history in common, however I do not think us progressives should be left out to dry.

HSCT has the other advantage that it includes the use of agents like cyclophosphamide to kill some of the rogue immune cells (possibly also killing dormant EBV, or even EBV-infected immune cells). As long as they don't kill us humans.

This work, as far as I can see from the abstract, is right on the money. Cheers to them!

-Chris Sullivan