Olivia Thomas Team

Our lab investigates the immunological mechanisms that drive multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases with an inflammatory component, with a particular focus on autoreactive T and B cell responses and their intersection with viral triggers. We have uncovered novel MS‑associated autoantigens and mapped personalised autoreactive T cell profiles, advancing understanding of how adaptive immunity targets the CNS.

A major emphasis of our work is defining how Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) shapes MS risk and pathogenesis, including identifying cross‑reactive and pathogenic immune responses — such as EBNA1‑driven T and B cell reactivity — and recently demonstrating that ANO2‑specific T cells link EBV infection to MS.

Together, our research aims to delineate the mechanisms by which infection‑induced immunity transitions into chronic neuroinflammation, ultimately guiding the development of targeted diagnostics and interventions for MS.

Translational Immunology in Neuroinflammation – Olivia Thomas’ research group | Karolinska Institutet

Translationell immunologi vid neuroinflammation – Olivia Thomas forskargrupp | Karolinska Institutet

Understanding the role of T and B cell responses to EBV in MS development and progression

The association of EBV with MS development has intrigued researchers for many years. However, despite strong epidemiological evidence and elevated antibody responses to certain viral proteins (Olsson et al. 2017 Nat Rev Neurol), there is currently no accepted mechanism. One hypothesis is molecular mimicry which occurs when adaptive immune responses to virus antigens can respond to proteins in the host’s tissues which have a similar structure. In 2023 our lab demonstrated that adaptive immune responses to EBNA1 from EBV can cross-react with the self-antigen alpha-crystallin B (CRYAB) (Thomas and Bronge et al. 2023 Sci Adv), and our lab are investigating the role of adaptive immune responses as triggers for neuroinflammation and disease using a range of advanced immunological techniques.

In addition, our recent work also demonstrated cross-reactivity of T cell responses to EBV EBNA1 and anoctamin-2 in the brain of people with MS, providing a mechanism for how infection can lead to disease in some people (Thomas et al. Cell 2026).

Discovery of new autoantigens in neurological diseases
Techniques to investigate autoreactive T cell responses vary in their efficiency and sensitivity, and often results are difficult to interpret due to the generally low frequency and avidity of autoreactive T cells in peripheral blood. Using a novel antigen-coupled bead technology previously developed by Hans Grönlund’s group (Bronge et al. 2019 Methods X), our lab previously discovered four new T cell autoantigens in MS (Bronge et al. 2022 Sci Adv) and we are now employing this method to investigate new targets of autoimmune attack in other neurological diseases.

Olivia Thomas, assistant professor, olivia.thomas@ki.se

Olivia Thomas received her Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom with a focus on molecular mimicry between neuronal proteins and antigens from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in multiple sclerosis (MS) under the supervision of Dr Jill Brooks and Dr Graham Taylor. Between 2017 and 2019 she worked at the University of Oxford in the group of Professor Lars Fugger working on immunological mechanisms of MS. Following this, she joined the group of Professor Paul Moss and Dr Helen Parry at the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham working on a project to identify perturbations in the immune system during immunotherapy for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. In 2020, she joined the groups of Associate Professor Hans Grönlund and Professor Tomas Olsson where she continued work on autoreactive T cell responses in MS, becoming an Assistant Professor in 2024.

In 2025, Olivia became a research group leader at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. She has developed a unique research track at CMM which focuses on understanding how virus-specific and autoreactive T cell and antibody responses lead to neuroinflammation and neurological diseases.

Urszula Rykaczewska, PhD, postdoctoral researcher, urszula.rykaczewska@ki.se

Mattias Bronge, MD PhD, affiliated to research, mattias.bronge@ki.se

Alicja Gromadzka, PhD student, alicja.gromadzka@ki.se

Aleksa Krstic, Master’s student

Marina Galešić, BSc, Erasmus internship student, marina.galesic@ki.se

Lorenzo De la Parra Soto , BSc,  Masters internship student, lorenzo.de.la.parra.soto@ki.se

Karolinska Neuroimmunology & Multiple Sclerosis Centre (KNIMS)

In 2026, our publication in Cell (Thomas et al. PMID: 41534529) identified a key mechanism explaining how the common Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) may contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings reveal that during EBV infection, the immune system can generate T cells that mistakenly attack a brain protein called Anoctamin‑2 (ANO2) due to molecular mimicry.

Links to Dagens Nyheter and Dagens Medicin articles (January 2026):

• https://www.dn.se/sverige/sa-kan-ett-vanligt-herpesvirus-leda-till-ms/
• https://www.dagensmedicin.se/specialistomraden/neurologi/forskare-ar-ett-steg-narmare-att-forklara-hur-virus-orsakar-ms/

In 2023, our publication (Thomas and Bronge et al. Sci Adv 2023 PMID: 37196088) gained global media attention receiving a top 5% overall Altmetric attention score and top 1% for articles of the same age (Altmetric score of 819 as of 2024-01-05). Over 100 media articles reported our work including:

• Karolinska Institutet press release on 17^th May 2023:

(add CMM press release here)

• The Guardian, 17^th May 2023: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/17/common-viral-antibodies-could-trigger-ms-research-reveals
• Medical News Today, 18^th May 2023: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-the-epstein-barr-virus-may-spur-the-progression-of-multiple-sclerosis?c=521321678804

Our lab contributes to science communication by translating complex research into accessible articles, published on platforms like The Conversation and The Science Breaker, thereby sharing insights and fostering public understanding of scientific advancements our field.

• “Multiple sclerosis: new evidence for the role of glandular fever virus” published online in The Conversation on 19^th May 2023: https://theconversation.com/multiple-sclerosis-new-evidence-for-the-role-of-glandular-fever-virus-205904
• “Korsreaktiva EBNA1-autoantikroppar riktar sig mot CRYAB vid MS” published online in Neurologi i Sverige on 21st September 2023: https://www.neurologiisverige.se/korsreaktiva-ebna1-autoantikroppar-riktar-sig-mot-cryab-vid-ms/
• “How the immune response to a common virus may target the brain in multiple sclerosis” published online in The Science Breaker on 20^th December 2023: https://doi.org/10.25250/thescbr.brk772

MS Forskningsfonden

NEURO Stockholm

Neurofonden

Neuroförbundet

Gunvor och Josef Anérs Stiftelse

Jeanssons Stiftelse

Magnus Bergvall Stiftelse

Karolinska Institutet Doctoral Funding (KID)

And others 

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2011-1344

Thomas OG^*, Rykaczewska U, Galešić M, van der Burgt RTM, Hallén N, Ferro F, Bronge M, Marti Z, Li Y, Hill Riqué A, Lin J, Krstic A, Gromadzka A, Szonder AL, Sorini C, Reina-Campos M, Sun T, Rubio Rodríguez-Kirby LA, Dumral Ö, Berglund B, Pahlevan Kakhki M, Adzemovic MZ, Zeitelhofer M, Akpinar B, Tengvall K, Nilsson OB, Holmgren E, Starvaggi Cucuzza C, Asplund Högelin K, Gafvelin G, Fink K, Castelo-Branco G, Needhamsen M, Khademi M, Piehl F, Gräslund T, Alfredsson L, Lund H, Uhlén P, Kockum I, Martin R, Jagodic M, Grönlund H^†, Ortlieb Guerreiro-Cacais A^†, Olsson T^†.

“Anoctamin-2-specific T Cells Link Epstein-Barr Virus to Multiple Sclerosis.”

Cell. 2026 Jan 13:S0092-8674(25)01481-3. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.12.032. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41534529.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.12.032

 

Sattarnezhad N*, Kockum I*, Thomas OG, Liu Y, Ho PP, Barrett AK, Comanescu A, Wijerante TU, Utz PJ, Alfredsson L, Steinman L, Robinson WH, Olsson T*, Lanz TV*. Antibody Reactivity against EBNA1 and GlialCAM Differentiates Multiple Sclerosis Patients from Healthy Controls. PNAS 2025 Jan. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2424986122

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2424986122

Marti Z, Ruder J, Thomas OG, Bronge M, De La Parra Soto L, Grönlund H, Olsson T and Martin R (2024) Enhanced and cross-reactive in vitro memory B cell response against Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 in multiple sclerosis. Front. Immunol. 15:1334720. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1334720.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1334720

Thomas OG*, Olsson T. Mimicking the brain: Epstein-Barr virus and foreign agents as drivers of neuroimmune attack in multiple sclerosis. Front Immunol. 2023 Nov 3;14:1304281. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1304281. PMID: 38022632; PMCID:PMC10655090.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1304281

 

Thomas OG, Haigh TA, Croom-Carter D, Leese A, Van Wijck Y, Douglas MR, Rickinson A, Brooks JM, Taylor GS. Heightened Epstein-Barr virus immunity and potential cross-reactivities in multiple sclerosis. PLoS Pathog. 2024 Jun 6;20(6):e1012177. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012177. PMID: 38843296; PMCID: PMC11156336.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012177

Rabenstein M, Thomas OG, Carlin G, Khademi M, Högelin KA, Malmeström C, Axelsson M, Brandt AF, Gafvelin G, Grönlund H, Kockum I, Piehl F, Lycke J, Olsson T, Hessa T. The impact of hybrid immunity on immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in persons with multiple sclerosis treated with disease-modifying therapies. Eur J Neurol. 2023 Dec;30(12):3789-3798. doi: 10.1111/ene.16015. Epub 2023 Aug 24. PMID: 37522464.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.16015

Thomas OG, Rickinson A, Palendira U*. Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis: moving from questions of association to questions of mechanism. Clin Transl Immunology. 2023 May 17;12(5):e1451. doi: 10.1002/cti2.1451. PMID: 37206956; PMCID: PMC10191779.

https://doi.org/10.1002/cti2.1451

Thomas OG*, Bronge M*, Tengvall K, Akpinar B, Nilsson OB, Holmgren E, Hessa T, Gafvelin G, Khademi M, Alfredsson L, Martin R, Guerreiro-Cacais AO, Grönlund H, Olsson T, Kockum I. Cross-reactive EBNA1 immunity targets alpha-crystallin B and is associated with multiple sclerosis. Sci Adv. 2023 May 19;9(20):eadg3032. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3032. Epub 2023 May 17. PMID: 37196088; PMCID: PMC10191428.

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg3032

Bronge M, Högelin KA, Thomas OG, Ruhrmann S, Carvalho-Queiroz C, Nilsson OB, Kaiser A, Zeitelhofer M, Holmgren E, Linnerbauer M, Adzemovic MZ, Hellström C, Jelcic I, Liu H, Nilsson P, Hillert J, Brundin L, Fink K, Kockum I, Tengvall K, Martin R, Tegel H, Gräslund T, Al Nimer F, Guerreiro-Cacais AO, Khademi M, Gafvelin G, Olsson T, Grönlund H. Identification of four novel T cell autoantigens and personal autoreactive profiles in multiple sclerosis. Sci Adv. 2022 Apr 29;8(17):eabn1823. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1823. Epub 2022 Apr 27. PMID: 35476434; PMCID: PMC9045615.

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn1823

Winter JR, Taylor GS, Thomas OG, Jackson C, Lewis JEA, Stagg HR. Factors associated with cytomegalovirus serostatus in young people in England: a cross-sectional study. BMC Infect Dis. 2020 Nov 23;20(1):875. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05572-9. PMID: 33228560; PMCID: PMC7681768.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-05572-9

Winter JR, Jackson C, Lewis JE, Taylor GS, Thomas OG, Stagg HR. Predictors of Epstein-Barr virus serostatus and implications for vaccine policy: A systematic review of the literature. J Glob Health. 2020 Jun;10(1):010404. doi: 10.7189/jogh.10.010404. PMID: 32257152; PMCID: PMC7125428.

https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.10.010404

Winter JR, Taylor GS, Thomas OG, Jackson C, Lewis JEA, Stagg HR. Predictors of Epstein-Barr virus serostatus in young people in England. BMC Infect Dis. 2019 Nov 28;19(1):1007. doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-4578-y. PMID: 31779585; PMCID: PMC6883578.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-4578-y