A growing cadre of labs are sketching out some of the molecular and cellular characters at play in long COVID, a once-seemingly inscrutable disease.
He’s got a call with a pharmaceutical company planned in the next half hour. His goal: persuade the company to supply his lab with a drug that might — maybe, hopefully, someday — ease some of the unrelenting symptoms of long COVID.
That picture features a motley cast of molecular and cellular characters that could point scientists toward potential tests and treatments — both are currently lacking. Still, the full long COVID landscape is unquestionably complicated. Assorted actors tangle together in an immunological thicket that can make the disease seem impenetrable.
The difficulty is that long COVID is not just one disease. It’s likely a collection of many diseases, she says, with varying sets of symptoms and triggers. Even defining long COVID is complicated. Last spring, researchers developed Today, in many doctors’ offices and clinics, homing in on a diagnosis means first ruling out other conditions.
But for those who do, it can be a double-edged sword, he says. Turning complement on briefly can knock out some bugs, but keeping it on chronically can damage your cells. in September. In some patients, she and others have also spotted other suspicious signs, like long-slumbering herpes viruses that reawaken and start infecting cells again. “Whether this is a cause or effect ,” Iwasaki says, “we don’t know.” Usually, the immune system keeps these viruses under control.
And though Morgan’s complement work is still at an early stage, he considers it a “strong lead to a potential therapy.” One bright spot is the number of complement-targeting drugs that already exist. Doctors currently use the drugs to treat certain blood disorders and other rare conditions. Morgan and other scientists have tried using some of these drugs to treat severe cases of acute COVID-19 infection, but large-scale trials didn’t pan out.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Leaky Blood Vessels: Underlying Cause of Long COVID “Brain Fog” DiscoveredScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
Study Explains Why Exercise May Be Difficult for Those With Long COVIDThere are so many different types of masks out there to protect us from COVID. What works best? How long can you wear them? Which ones are fake? Learn everything you need to know about COVID masks.
Read more »
Readout of HHS Secretary Becerra’s Meeting with Pharmacy CEOs on COVID-19 Therapeutics CommercializationHHS Secretary Becerra met virtually with pharmacy CEOs, including Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and pharmacy leaders, on COVID-19 therapeutics commercialization.
Read more »
Scientists rely on private funding to push long COVID research forwardAdvocates say the federal government no longer views long COVID with urgency. Private donors are funding research, bringing an unprecedented level of collaboration. (Story aired on ATC on 2/6/24.)
Read more »
COVID variant JN.1 now more than 90% of cases in U.S., CDC estimatesEarly data suggests the COVID vaccines have effectiveness against the recent JN.1 variant.
Read more »
FACTCHECK: COVID-19 vaccination does not cause miscarriage in pregnant peopleOne myth that has been circulating is that the COVID-19 vaccine increases the risk of miscarriage. According to experts, this is not true.
Read more »