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There are more and more excellent treatments for MS becoming available – and that simply wouldn’t have happened if people like you had not donated so generously in the past. Better still, the best is yet to come!

Dr Jennifer Massey wants to know more about the links between MS and Epstein-Barr virus.

Researchers have long suspected link between Epstein-Barr irus (EBV) and MS. But if EBV s so common, affecting 95% of he adult population, and MS is relatively rare, what could that connection be?

With your support, Dr Jennifer Massey wants to find out.

Her research project is investigating the impact of a highly effective MS therapy known as AHSCT (autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant) on an individual’s immune response to Epstein-Barr virus. AHSCT helps to 'grow' a new immune system that is less reactive to the brain and spinal cord. For some people with MS it's proven to have incredible benefits.

But it's possible the treatment leaves the immune system weakened and allows hidden viruses like EBV to reactivate.

By learning more about how Epstein-Barr virus behaves after stem cell transplants, Dr Massey hopes to learn more about its role in MS and how it affects progression of the disease.