MS at the Limits 2022 | How do environmental risk factors interact with genetics in MS?

Sergio Baranzini, PhD, The University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, addresses the fact that genetics alone is not sufficient to explain every occurrence of multiple sclerosis (MS). Interestingly, only 40% of monozygotic twins are concordant for MS despite identical genomes. Therefore, this strongly suggests that the risk factors for MS are a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. It has long been established that environmental risk factors, such as smoking and vitamin D deficiency, increase one’s susceptibility to MS. However, a recent Harvard study has implicated the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) as a significant risk factor. The latest discovery of environmental risk factors for MS includes the role of the gut microbiome, which is of particular interest in MS genetics research and ought to be pursued with international MS microbiome studies. This interview took place during the 2022 Multiple Sclerosis at the Limits Conference in London, UK.

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