Professor Denise Doolan and her team propose to study the altered antibody response to Epstein Barr virus (EBV) as a potential diagnostic test for MS (multiple sclerosis), a disease for which the underlying cause remains unknown.
While EBV has been strongly associated with MS, establishing causality has been difficult. Professor Denise Doolan and her team plan to measure the antibody response to all known proteins present in EBV and compare the responses in individuals with MS to those in healthy people and people with other autoimmune diseases. They will use a computational analytical pipeline to identify a risk stratification signature of EBV antibodies specifically associated with MS.
EBV is a common virus that is strongly linked to the development of MS but the underlying mechanism and critical viral proteins associated with disease-onset have not been determined. To investigate this, Professor Doolan and her team used a specialised laboratory tool called a protein microarray to measure antibodies – proteins made by the immune system – against all known EBV proteins in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples.
Professor Doolan and her team have tested the EBV protein microarrays with samples from the following groups:
Over the next 12 months, Professor Doolan and her team will continue detailed analyses of the antibody responses in the different groups. They will seek to identify an EBV antibody signature specific to MS and validate it in a separate group of people with and without MS.
Professor Doolan’s work brings us closer to identifying immune markers that could improve MS diagnosis and deepen our understanding of how EBV might contribute to the development of the disease.
Last updated 31 March 2025
Dr Carla Proietti
Dr William Lindsey
$184,438
2024
3 years
Current project
