|Videos|June 3, 2023

Rethinking MS as a Smoldering Disease and the Role of the Epstein Barr Virus: Gavin Giovannoni, MBBCh, PhD, FCP, FRCP, FRCPath

Author(s)Gavin Giovannoni, MBBCh, PhD, FCP, FRCP, FRCPath

At CMSC 2023, the professor of neurology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry discussed the emerging paradigm shift in understanding multiple sclerosis (MS) as a smoldering disease and the potential role of Epstein Barr Virus in causing MS. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

WATCH TIME: 6 minutes

"We have very effective therapies now that could stop all the focal inflammation, clinical relapses, and lesions, but the disease still continues. There's something happening in the brain and spinal cord causing people to worsen that we're not addressing."

In the field of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers continue to search for new treatments for patients, challenging the traditional autoimmune model of the disease. Thus, there is growing evidence that suggests that the disease is not solely characterized by focal inflammation but is identified as a smoldering disease.¹

At the 2023 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting, held May 31 to June 3, in Aurora, Colorado, Gavin Giovannoni, MBBCh, PhD, FCP, FRCP, FRCPath, professor of neurology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, gave a lecture on "Closing in on the Cause of MS by Dissecting the Immunology of MS Disease-Modifying Therapies."²

At the meeting, Giovannoni sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® to discuss the main takeaways from his lecture. He talked about the concept of MS as a smoldering disease, and the implications it has for developing new treatments. In addition, he spoke about how Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) plays a role in causing MS, and the research that is being done towards preventing MS through EBV-directed vaccines. He concluded by talking about the CD40 ligand pathway as a promising target for MS treatment.

Click here for more coverage of CMSC 2023.

REFERENCES
1. Giovannoni G, Popescu V, Wuerfel J, et al. Smouldering multiple sclerosis: the 'real MS'. Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2022;15:17562864211066751. Published 2022 Jan 25. doi:10.1177/17562864211066751
2. Giovannoni G. Whitaker Lecture: Closing in on the Cause of MS by Dissecting the Immunology of MS Disease-Modifying Therapies. Presented at: 2023 CMSC Annual Meeting; May 31-June 3; Aurora, CO. LEC3.

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