{
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  "path": "/news/2026-02-immune-cells-linked-epstein-barr.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-05T05:00:01.000Z",
  "site": "https://medicalxpress.com",
  "tags": [
    "Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes"
  ],
  "textContent": "Researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered a new clue to how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) could contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects nearly one million Americans. The work found that certain types of CD8+ \"killer\" T cells—immune cells that destroy damaged or infected cells—are more abundant in people with MS. Some of these killer T cells target EBV, which suggests that the virus may trigger the damaging immune response seen in MS.",
  "title": "Immune cells linked to Epstein-Barr virus may play a role in multiple sclerosis"
}