Most clinicians think #LongCOVID is a complete mystery! It's NOT, Here's what we mean...
Research shows key drivers of #LongCOVID Including evidence strongly suggesting that pts with #LongCOVID do not fully clear the SARS-CoV-2 virus So... what's that mean?
Instead, the virus may persist in tissue where it continues to provoke the immune system This could lead to: 🩸 Blood clotting 🔥 Neuroinflammation ⚡️Neuropathy
The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in tissue is called: A viral reservoir.
1 in 13 adults in the US has #LongCOVID symptoms that they didn’t have prior to their #COVID-19 infection This is important information to be armed with now... But... shouldn't we be doing MORE research? Yes... and we are... NOW! 👇🏽
Today we are excited to announce the launch of the Long Covid Research Initiative (LCRI)! LCRI is a collaboration among scientists, clinicians, & patients to rapidly & comprehensively study and treat #Long Covid
LCRI launches with more than $15 million in funding commitments from: @VitalikButerin & @DrPatSoonShiong of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation
The Long Covid Research Initiative is establishing a virtual research institute with a two-pronged approach, Consisting of research and therapeutics, with a shared focus on the topic of viral reservoir:
Prong 1 - The LCRI Research Program, in which scientists from top global institutions unite their collective expertise to study the disease mechanisms of #LongCOVID
Prong 2 - The LCRI Clinical Trials Program, in which Research Program findings are translated into therapeutic targets to be used in clinical trials
The #LongCovid Research Initiative has developed a comprehensive research program with the goal not only to understand if Long Covid patients still harbor the #SARSCoV2 virus but to determine what exactly the virus is doing to drive chronic disease.
LCRI will identify the virus’s effects on the immune system, and its impact on a wide range of processes such as blood clotting, nerve signaling, and cognitive function.
Here are 5️⃣ things the LCRI will include: 1️⃣ Tissue biopsy studies: designed to identify #SARSCoV2, its proteins, & related changes to the immune and genetic landscape in intestinal, lung, lymph node, and other tissue samples collected from Long Covid patients.
2️⃣ Autopsy and imaging studies: designed to reveal the deep-tissue locations of SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs and ongoing antiviral T cell activity throughout the body and brain. balance of the human microbiome.
3️⃣ Blood-based biomarker studies: designed to capture key metrics in blood such as spike protein or immune cell patterns that can infer the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in tissue, making diagnosis easier outside of research labs.
4️⃣ Downstream consequences of persistence: designed to characterize a wide range of downstream effects of SARS-CoV-2 persistence including impacts on clotting, cerebrospinal fluid flow, neuroinflammation, and vagus nerve signaling.
5️⃣ Impact on other pathogens & microbiome: designed to determine the extent to which #SARSCoV2 impact on the immune system facilitates the reactivation of other latent pathogens such as herpesviruses or the parasite Toxoplasma, and/or disrupts the balance of the human microbiome
These programs include scientists & clinicians from @Harvard , @Stanford , @UCSF , the @JCVenter , @JohnsHopkins , @penn , @IcahnMountSinai , @cardiffuni , & @Yale
#LongCovid is a condition in which a subset of patients infected with #SARSCoV2 develop a wide range of debilitating chronic symptoms that do not resolve even years later
These symptoms frequently impact: 🧠 the brain, ❤️ the heart, 🫁 the lungs, and ⚡️ the nervous system Currently, no FDA-approved treatments exist.
A growing body of evidence now positions #SARSCoV2 viral reservoir at the center of the #LongCovid disease process.
Spike protein has been found in #LongCovid blood & #SARSCoV2 has been shown capable of persisting for months after the initial illness, in tissues including the brain, the lungs, and the lining of the gut.
The CDC estimates that 7.5% of the current adult US population is now suffering with #LongCovid.
In just the last 12 months, the number of patients has doubled to 150 million adults and 13 million children worldwide. #LongCOVID
In addition to the human cost, this brings a financial cost of $386 billion just to the US economy alone. #LongCOVID
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