About EBV-MS

Find information such as background and objectives of the project, or who is funding it, see who is in the Scientific Advisory Board, get contact details, and see news stories from EBV-MS in the media.

About EBV-MS

Overview (Background and objectives)

The aim of this research is to understand why only a few EBV-infected people develop MS, and to define the underlying mechanism of this process. We will also investigate whether targeting the EBV infection with antiviral treatments can improve the disease course or stop disease progression.

Background and aim

The research published in Science in 2022 shows that an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection greatly increases the risk of developing MS and that it is nearly impossible to develop MS without first being infected by the virus. The EBV infection, also known for causing mononucleosis, is very common (more than 95%) in the population. Almost all people with MS have been infected first by EBV, while only 0,2-0,3 per cent of the people who have had EBV infection end up developing MS. There is currently no available preventive treatment against EBV infection or MS.

The purpose of this EU-funded research initiative is to uncover the role of EBV in multiple sclerosis, its onset and progression, especially in light of recent research in EBV’s role in triggering the development of MS.

The aim of this research, led by the University of Bergen, is to understand why only a few EBV-infected people develop MS and to define the underlying mechanism of this process. The research will also aim to investigate whether targeting the EBV infection with antiviral treatments can improve the disease course or stop disease progression.

Objectives

  • To determine if EBV is a treatment target for people with MS in two clinical trials with antivirals as add-on treatments.
  • To investigate the importance of EBV genome variations on EBV infection and immune response and analyse interactions between EBV variants and MS risk genetics to identify which EBV variant is relevant in MS.
  • To characterise the time interval between EBV infection and the clinical onset of MS, and identify drugs that modify this interval and evaluate whether these drugs predict MS progression.
  • To identify the immune cell signatures associated with EBV infection in cohorts of treated people with MS, and to validate these signatures in clinical trials so they can be used to identify people at higher risk of development/progression of MS
  • To develop prevention treatment strategies to detect individuals at high risk of developing MS and people with MS with high risk through machine learning models
Contact

EBV-MS Project office contacts: 

Kjell-Morten Myhr 
Project Coordinator 
E-mail: kjell-morten.myhr@uib.no  
Tel: +47 55976031 / +47 41447868 

Øivind F. Grytten Torkildsen 
Deputy Project Coordinator 
E-mail: oivind.fredvik.grytten.torkildsen@helse-bergen.no

Yamila Torres Cleuren 
Scientific Project Manager 
E-mail: Yamila.cleuren@uib.no  
Tel: +47 55585431 

Mona Machrouh 
Scientific Project Manager
E-mail: mona.machrouh@uib.no                                                                       
Tel: +47 55589111

Hege Høiland 
Project Financial Manager 
E-mail: hege.hoiland@uib.no 
Tel: +47 55584974  

Postal address: 
University of Bergen 
Klinisk institutt 1 
Postbox 7804 
5020 Bergen 
Norway 

EBV-MS SAB (Scientific Advisory Board)

The EBV-MS Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consists of Professors Gavin Giovannoni, Dasja Pajkrt, Paul Kellam and Associate Professor Claire Shannon-Lowe. All four are leading international experts on various aspects of EBV and MS.

The SAB’s primary objective is to offer advice and guidance to the scientific management team on the project's progress and its dissemination and exploitation activities. The board convenes annually with key researchers involved in the project, along with representatives from the European MS Platform and the Italian MS Society. 

The SAB representatives:

Gavin Giovannoni

Professor Gavin Giovannoni is a professor of Neurology. In 2006, he was appointed to the Chair of Neurology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. Professor Gavin Giovannoni is an MS expert and researcher with over 30 years of experience in MS. His current research is focused on Epstein Barr virus as a possible cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), MS-related neurodegeneration, MS biomarker discovery, MS clinical outcome measures, MS clinical trials and immune tolerance strategies.

Dasja Pajkrt

Professor Dasja Pajkrt is a professor of Viral Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMC). She is Principal Investigator (PI) of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and Co-head of the research group OrganoVIR Labs, where clinicians, virologists and tissue engineers work together to develop innovative animal-free models for virus research.  

Paul Kellam

Professor of Virus Genomics at Imperial College London and Vice President of infectious diseases & vaccines at Kymab Ltd, UK. At the Imperial College laboratory, Paul remains dedicated to its ongoing research theme, delving into virus and host genetic variation during infection. Meanwhile, at Kymab, Paul's work is focused on developing therapeutic antibody treatments of infectious diseases and to further advance vaccine research. Paul’s research has identified how HIV develops resistance to antiviral drugs and has identified the first influenza disease severity gene in people hospitalised with influenza virus. His laboratory produced the virus genome analysis of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS CoV) outbreaks. 

Claire Shannon-Lowe

Dr. Claire Shannon-Lowe is an associate professor of Virology at the College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. She has over 20 years of experience in virology research, and currently leads the virology teaching in the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. Her research has focused upon Epstein Barr virus, the first human virus shown to be associated with cancer. She has a long-term interest in a group of rare T cell and natural killer cell cancers driven by EBV.

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions under grant no. 101136991 (EBV-MS).

The project started in December 2023 and will end by November 2028.

 

EBV-MS in the Media

News stories involving the EBV-MS project.

2025

2024

2023

EBV-MS in the Social Media

Social media is an essential instrument in amplifying the promotional impact of the project's communication activities. It serves as a pivotal tool for engaging with third parties, the research community, and the public alike. Through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the EBV-MS project will promote project results and milestones, as well as provide news updates, happenings, and media appearances. We use the established social media channels of each consortium member's respective institutions to engage with a broader and well-established audience.  The hashtags we use include: #EBVMS #MultipleSclerosis #MS

Check out our main social media channels for UiB and EMSP below. Follow us to stay updated!

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Last updated: 21.08.2025