Antiviral Reverses Disability in Mouse Model of MS

Research Summary: The nucleoside analog kamuvudine-9 shows protective and therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis

While we now have a number of treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), most people will still have ongoing disease progression.  Therefore, there is a need to find new therapeutic approaches that may more effectively reduce disease activity and stop or even decrease disability accrual.

What?

Using an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), this study looks at the potential benefits of treatment with a compound called kamuvudine-9 (K-9), a modified nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NRTI.

Who?

This research was conducted by a team at the University of Virginia in Virginia, USA.

Where?

The article was published in the Science Translational Medicine.  The abstract of the publication is available here.

When?

The study was published in the above journal in September, 2026.

BACKGROUND #1: Some studies have suggested that people being treated for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) or hepatitis B with drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NRTIs, have a lower incidence of MS.

BACKGROUND #2:  There has also been a suggestion that in people living with HIV that also have MS, treatment with NRTIs also leads to a reduction in relapses.

BACKGROUND #3:  NRTIs target the inflammasome, which is a key driver of inflammation in the body and is known to play a role in the disease process in MS.

FINDING #1:  Treatment with K-9 in a mouse model of MS resulted in significant and complete reversal of disability observed after approximately 2 weeks of receiving the therapy.

FINDING #2:  Treatment with K-9 reduced damage to the myelin sheath and axons in both the optic nerve and the spinal cord.  This was associated with a decrease in neurofilament light in the blood.

FINDING #3: The researchers performed large scale analysis of people living with HIV to confirm previous anecdotal evidence about a potential preventative and therapeutic effect of NRTIs for MS.  Their results aligned with previous, smaller studies showing that treatment with NRTIs was associated with a reduced risk of both developing the disease and experiencing relapses.

THOUGHT #1:  The findings of this study are interesting, as they link anecdotal evidence that has been seen with these therapies to promising preclinical data in an animal model of MS.  However, as is always the case with results generated in mice, it is important to understand that these don’t always translate to the same results in trials of people living with MS.

THOUGHT #2: It will be interesting to see how the results from this study align with clinical trials underway looking at other antiviral therapies in people living with MS.

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