Multiple sclerosis, towards a personalised vaccine

The results of an Italian study, published in Pnas, pave the way for an innovative strategy: selectively vaccinating only those with a higher risk

4 April 2025

2' min read

Key points

Targeted vaccination
The link between Ebv and multiple sclerosis

2' min read

A new Italian study opens up promising scenarios based on an increasingly clear finding: the Epstein-Barr virus (Ebv) infection, responsible for mononucleosis, may be behind the development of multiple sclerosis. But if 90% of the world's population contracts the virus without consequences, why do only a few develop the disease?

Targeted vaccination

The answer is provided by research coordinated by the Multiple Sclerosis Centre of the Sapienza - Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Sant'Andrea, published in the prestigious journal Pnas (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), which sheds light on a specific genetic-viral mechanism underlying the disease. The results pave the way for an innovative strategy: selectively vaccinating only those at higher risk, based on their individual genetic and viral profile.

Funded by the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association (Aism) with its Fism Foundation, the study represents a concrete step towards the primary prevention of multiple sclerosis, a goal long considered unattainable.

The link between Ebv and multiple sclerosis

"We have discovered that some variants of the Epstein-Barr virus interact specifically with the genes that predispose to multiple sclerosis, increasing the risk of developing the disease," explains Marco Salvetti, of the Multiple Sclerosis Centre at Sant'Andrea-Sapienza. "This evidence allows us to imagine a targeted vaccination, to be proposed only to people carrying the most 'at risk' forms of the virus, minimising resistance and optimising protection.

Rosella Mechelli, of the San Raffaele Telematic University in Rome, also emphasises the originality of the result: 'The link between Ebv and multiple sclerosis that emerged from our study is specific, and is not found in most of the other autoimmune diseases analysed. This reinforces the idea of a causal role of the virus in the triggering mechanism of the disease'.

The study is part of a strand of research increasingly focused on understanding the root causes of multiple sclerosis. 'Investigating the immunological and genetic bases of the disease,' adds Giuseppe Matarese, Professor of Immunology and General Pathology at the Federico II University in Naples, 'helps us to identify new therapeutic targets and to design increasingly effective treatments.

For Paola Zaratin, Director of Scientific Research Aism-FismI, the results of the study are 'innovative and crucial for understanding how a ubiquitous infection such as Ebv can contribute to the onset of multiple sclerosis in only a small part of the population'. He concludes: 'These discoveries pave the way for the development of personalised vaccines, which today represent the only realistic route to true prevention of multiple sclerosis. This is the challenge of the end of multiple sclerosis that has always guided the commitment of our Association and its Foundation'.