Just tuned into @polybiorf fall symposium on #LongCovid and #MEcfs research. Talks are 10-15 minutes and they are a bit behind schedule.
Polybio is a small outfit run by Amy Proal, who has long thought that viral persistence is a driving factor in these chronic illnesses.
Free to watch w/ registration.
Will post a bit about Matthew Frank's talk on 'multiple hit model of long covid."
He's at U of Colorado.
He thinks this priming mechanism makes the brain more vulnerable to subsequent insults - such as other infections, brain trauma etc. he thinks reduced glucocorticoids may be a key to this priming that makes the brain more susceptible to neuroinflammation after SARSCoV2 infection.
That's the end of his talk.
Small biopsy study - 5 long covid patients, 5 control volunteers.
Obtained biopsies from reproductive tract (endometrium) & gut.
Then looked at T cell responses to SARSCoV2 & other viruses.
Small # of patients and controls to date, 6 and 6.
Bottom line: Drug seems to speed up recovery from GI symptoms.
"The more spike protein you have, the more GI symptoms."
Clearance of spike seems to be driving force of resolution of GI symptoms.
Just a mention here that Amy Proal is now talking about a clinical trial of rapamycin in long covid.
Rapamycin comes from a bacterium found in Rapa Nui in the 1960s. One of the coolest story in all of biology as rapamycin has many fascinating positive effects on the body.
In high doses it's an immunosuppressant and used in transplants.
But in low doses it may support the immune system, she says.
Rapamycin also extends lifespan of animals in lab studies.
"Natural history" in people using rapamycin when pandemic began had milder cases than those not taking it.
This inspired Proal to set up a double-blinded randomized trial in 80 patients.
Using 6mg once per week, ramp up to that over several weeks to minimize side effects.
Akiko Iwasaki at Yale will be studying many immune markers in these patients (Proal says she is very excited about this).
Her goal is better understanding who might respond to rapamycin and refine inclusion criteria for a larger trial. So it's a pilot trial. No data yet.
Humanity Neurotech is partnering with Putrino's clinic to test a new treatment.
"We know cognitive impairment in LC is severe and common."
The trial will test a device that produces low-level magnetic fields. Patients wear it on their head. Trial will start Jan. 2025.
It's a little headset that has a controller console...patients will use it daily for 4 weeks and then they'll look at pre- and post- cognitive test results.
It's placebo-controlled and will have placebo devices. He's very excited about it. First in human use of this device.
Brian Vastag