Interesting! 👉 This study in mice found that persistent herpes #virus (HSV) activity detected in the brainstem...may primarily result from the transport of reactivated HSV from the trigeminal nerve into the brainstem: jvi.asm.org/content/jvi/ea…
Context on the study 👉”Investigating HSV reactivation in the #brainstem is a reasonable first step to understanding #HSV pathology in the CNS, since...lesions in the front of the brain, characteristic of Alzheimer’s, may originate from #neurons located in the brainstem.”
But as the team explains, the study of HSV’s activity + reactivation in the central nervous system can inform the study of many #neuroinflammatory conditions (in addition to Alzheimer’s)
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Glad to have contributed to this new preprint. We found that some PVS participants had higher levels of circulating spike protein compared to controls.
This parallels #LongCovid where persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 #virus in patient tissue may also cause spike to periodically leak into blood
2/ For example, this study found #SARS-CoV-2 proteins including spike up to 1 year post-COVID in up to 25% of people tested. But identified spike was not a result of the COVID vaccine, since nearly all study participants had not received the vaccine: thelancet.com/journals/lanin…
3/ The same team also found SARS-CoV-2 spike protein encoding double-stranded RNA in LongCovid #gut tissue almost 2 years post-#infection. Such RNA is produced during active viral replication and thus wld not be vaccine derived: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
Today I write for the @latimes: Long COVID is solvable, but we need more clinical trials.
These include trials of drugs to clear #SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs: small pockets of the virus - or parts of the virus - that can persist long-term in people’s bodies.
2/ We are living in an epidemic of chronic #disease, with a growing number of pesticides, chemicals and food additives implicated in the declining health of Americans.
3/ Since 2019, another factor has been at play as well: The #SARS-CoV-2 virus has driven a huge increase in chronic #health consequences, broadly referred to as long COVID.
Our new Viewpoint is out! We draw from treatment strategies in HIV, Hep C & other infections, to detail key considerations for #LongCovid clinical trials targeting persistent #SARS-CoV-2. These include combination trials of drugs that target both the virus and the immune system: authors.elsevier.com/a/1kayZ5E-UogX…
2/ To maximize these trials, we must develop validated #biomarkers to detect persistent virus or protein in accessible fluids like blood & saliva. Such biomarkers will allow targeted recruitment of participants w/ viral persistence into trials - helping trials to meet endpoints
3/ This persistence biomarker development - and the #LongCovid trials of immunotherapies, monoclonals, antivirals and other drugs delineated in our Viewpoint - are huge opportunities for the #biotech space. Agile, action-oriented agencies like @ARPA_H should also rapidly engage
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF That is not correct. We are working very hard on ME/CFS projects in addition to LC, and almost every day we work with teams to determine how more of our LC projects can be pivoted to ME/CFS in the future
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF 2/ ME/CFS projects include this collaborative study determining immune activity, microclotting and other infectious parameters in ME/CFS patients with peripheral neuropathy: polybio.org/projects/immun…
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF 3/ This study of neuroinflammation via PET imaging and imaging to document changes in cognitive control (brain fog) in ME/CFS: polybio.org/projects/5272/
For more context: The team found #SARS-CoV-2 proteins indicative of viral persistence in 25% of people up to 14 months after #COVID. They controlled for vaccination + reinfection. There were very few false positives in the pre-pandemic samples, confirming accuracy of the methods
2/ The viral proteins were found in participant blood. Where did they come from? As described in our paper below, it’s possible that at least some of the proteins “leak” into blood from persistent reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 in tissue (gut, lungs etc): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37667052/
3/ This means the new Lancet findings could even be underestimating SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs in people after COVID, since protein from reservoirs deep in the #brain or #nerves might not have made it into blood to be measured by the ultra-sensitive test used in the study
Tell @ChrisCuomo that 33 scientists from 14 institutions joined forces to write this paper documenting evidence for #SARS-CoV-2 persistence as a potential driver of #LongCOVID. We call for more clinical trials of drugs capable of clearing persistent virus: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37667052/
2/ We have formed a global #Consortium to study SARS-CoV-2 persistence: to determine if reservoirs of the #virus in LongCOVID tissue can drive widespread dysfunction including clotting, #microbiome, and neuroimmune abnormalities: polybio.org/longcovid
3/ Thus far, members our Consortium or our colleagues (including at NIH) have found persistent #SARS-CoV-2 RNA or proteins in tissue/nerve samples collected from dozens of human body & brain locations: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36517603/