Episode 56: Epstein-Barr Virus's Relationship With Multiple Sclerosis

Mind Moments®, a podcast from NeurologyLive®, brings you an exclusive interview with Bridget A. Bagert, MD, MPH. [LISTEN TIME: 32 minutes]

Bridget A. Bagert, MD, MPH

Episode 56 of the NeurologyLive^® Mind Moments^® podcast is now live! Scroll down to listen or click here to subscribe on your favorite streaming service.

The Mind Moments^® podcast features exclusive interviews with leaders in the field discussing the latest research and disease management strategies across the breadth of neurology, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson disease, dementia, sleep disorders, and more.

Episode 56, "Epstein-Barr Virus's Relationship With Multiple Sclerosis," features an exclusive interview with Bridget A. Bagert, MD, MPH, director, Ochsner Multiple Sclerosis Center, and an investigator in the clinical study of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-targeted agent, ATA188 (Atara Biotherapeutics).¹ She offered her perspective on the recent data from Ascherio et al on the relationship between EBV and multiple sclerosis (MS) that suggest it may be a root cause of the disease,² as well as background on the decades of research that have led to this point and the potential of therapies that target EBV and the B cells it infects for patients with MS.

Demystifying MS Etiology: The Role of Epstein Barr Virus

Panelists include Scott Newsome, DO (moderator); Alberto Ascherio, DPh, MD; Anne Cross, MD; Avindra Nath, MD; and Michael Racke, MD.

Premieres: January 28, 2022, at 4:00 ET

The stories highlighted in this episode's Neurology News Minute can be found here:

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

1:25 – Background and historical data on EBV and MS

5:15 – The role B cells play in MS and EBV infection

10:20 – The current understanding of EBV as a cause of MS

14:20 – Neurology News Minute

18:05 – Immediate research needs in this area

21:00 – The clinical community’s view of this relationship

23:45 – ATA188 as an EBV-targeted approach to MS

30:00 – Closing thoughts

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REFERENCES
1. Bar-Or A, Pender MP, Hodgkinson SJ, et al. Updated open-label extension clinical data and new magnetization transfer ratio imaging data from a Phase I study of ATA188, an off-the-shelf, allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus-targeted T-cell immunotherapy for progressive multiple sclerosis. Presented at ECTRIMS Congress; October 13-15, 2021; Poster P638.
2. Bjornevik K, Cortese M, Healy BC, et al. Longitudinal analysis reveals high prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus associated with multiple sclerosis. Science. Published online January 13, 2022. doi:10.1126/science.abj8222