MaineHealth awarded $800K to study causes of long COVID
The MaineHealth Institute for Research will use an $802,753 award from the National Institutes of Health to explore whether the coronavirus remains hidden in the fat tissue of patients with long COVID.
A new, yearlong study conducted in conjunction with the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University will examine the theoretical cause that could be stressing patients' immune systems to the point of potential failure.
The study is part of a nationwide initiative that seeks to understand, prevent and find treatments for long COVID, a term used to describe prolonged or new symptoms after the acute phase of infection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Some common symptoms of the condition include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath and sleep problems.
“Part of the challenge with treating long COVID is that we still don’t know what causes it,” said Dr. Cliff Rosen, senior scientist at MHIR, based in Scarborough. “If we can prove that the virus persists in the fat tissue of patients with long COVID, we can start targeting treatments that impact that part of the body.”
Rosen will work with colleagues to examine the blood of 60 current study participants in Maine, Kentucky and Louisiana. Scientists will test for the virus as well as certain proteins that the virus may be activating, causing long COVID symptoms.
MaineHealth will also be taking fat tissue biopsies from participants in collaboration with investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Stanford University and the University of Oregon. Together, scientists will analyze tissue samples to see if they carry the virus, and whether they are creating substances that can lead the immune system to cause long COVID symptoms.
“We know people with type 2 diabetes and obesity are at higher risk for long COVID,” said Dr. Sergey Ryzhov, who is also part of the MaineHealth team. “This study may bring us closer to understanding the biology behind why that is, and may be a first step towards preventing long COVID, too.”
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