A cure for multiple sclerosis could be just around the corner

Most Canadians know someone who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS): a favourite teacher who had to retire early because their motor function started to fail. An uncle who used to toss a football in the park and is now in a wheelchair. A friend fighting poverty because she could no longer work full time and fell through the cracks between employment insurance and disability programs. A young professional worried she might lose her job, not knowing how the new diagnosis will progress. Now, imagine a future where a vaccine or antivirals could make these stories disappear. No more MS. Multiple sclerosis becomes confined to medical history books, along with polio and smallpox. This future is within our grasp—it is achievable in our lifetime. If ever there were a time to be excited about medical research in MS, it is now. And if ever there were a time to reinforce the need to fund MS research, it is today, with exciting new breakthroughs offering hope that preventative and reparative treatments are on the horizon. Dr. Pamela Valentine is president and CEO of MS Canada. Photograph courtesy of Pamela Valentine MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system where the immune system attacks the protective covering of the nerves in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve, disrupting communication between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. The course of MS is unpredictable. In some cases, the disease is progressive and steadily worsens from onset. In others, it cycles through relapses and remissions. Dubbed “Canada’s disease,” our country has one of the highest rates of MS in the world. More than 90,000 Canadians live with MS, and 12 Canadians are diagnosed every day. And this number is growing. Moreover, in a twist of gender inequality, women are three times more likely than men to be diagnosed with MS. But there is hope in dramatic research breakthroughs. A Harvard research team discovered that virtually every case of MS onset occurred after an infection by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The 2022 landmark study examined 10 million military personnel over a 20-year period and mapped MS against all other correlative factors. EBV consistently showed up, whereas no other virus or other factors did—EBV clearly emerged a necessary causative factor. This is huge. With EBV now tentatively established as the leading risk factor, it provides a distinct target for further research in pursuit of MS therapy and prevention. An ideal scenario would see us eradicating MS through an Epstein-Barr vaccine in the same way cervical cancer is being prevented through human papillomavirus vaccination. Two vaccines are already under development, using two different methods, and one is already in Stage One clinical trials. A separate group of researchers is working on Epstein-Barr antivirals. In the meantime, we urgently need more research to further test this seemingly undeniable link, and whether it has any limitations. MS Australia successfully advocated for $18-million from their federal government for research towards effective therapeutics for the treatment of the EBV infection. This is an inspired approach to health research funding: when you have a game-changing hot lead, you immediately follow it up. And Canada should do likewise. There is much more to understand about the way EBV affects the immune system, and this breakthrough could have an impact on other diseases as well: infection by the virus is involved in B-cell lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NK cell leukemias, and other cancers. It is also connected to systemic autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, and the most common form of lupus. So, unpacking this breakthrough to a preventative cure could have an impact far beyond MS. Once in a generation, hope emerges through new research that a disease could be cured or prevented entirely. This is true now of MS, and this could be done within our lifetime. We owe it to Canada to seize this moment and fund research on “Canada’s disease” with renewed vigour and purpose. We can conquer MS. We can eradicate Canada’s disease. The stars have aligned for us to pursue this new avenue of research. It’s up to us to decide whether we will take this opportunity. Dr. Pamela Valentine is president and CEO of MS Canada, a charitable not-for-profit that provides information, support, and advocacy to people affected by MS. The Hill Times

A cure for multiple sclerosis could be just around the corner

We owe it to Canada to seize this moment and fund research on 'Canada’s disease' with renewed vigour and purpose.

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