LIINC researchers performed high-dimensional profiling of colorectal tissue and peripheral blood in people with and without Long COVID. They found that in people with Long COVID, SARS-CoV-2 activates innate myeloid signaling that drives chronic tissue inflammation, while simultaneously suppressing pathways needed for viral clearance, including antigen presentation, phagocytosis, and cytotoxic immune responses—a signature far more […]
Persistent cytolytic CD8+ T cells recognize SARS-CoV-2 and herpesvirus epitopes in long COVID
Researchers with LIINC examined immune cells that help fight SARS-CoV-2 and other common viruses in people with and without Long COVID. They found that, in people with Long COVID, these virus-fighting immune cells remained in a highly active state long after the initial infection. The findings suggest that persistent immune activation may contribute to Long […]
Long COVID is associated with lower percentages of mature, cytotoxic NK cell phenotypes
Researchers with LIINC demonstrated that the number of a certain type of immune cell called “NK cells” was lower in the blood of people with Long COVID compared to people without. These cells may instead be leaving the bloodstream to respond to persistent COVID-19 virus in the tissues of the body.
Measurement of circulating viral antigens post-SARS-CoV-2 infection in a multicohort study
LIINC contributed samples to a multi-cohort analysis that identified a relationship between persistent pieces of the COVID-19 virus and the presence of Long COVID symptoms. Future analyses are needed to figure out whether this persistence is associated with specific symptom clusters or only seen in certain groups.
Mechanisms of long COVID and the path toward therapeutics
LIINC Principal Investigators, Michael Peluso and Steve Deeks, synthesized Long COVID findings to date. Their article serves to detail the complexity of proposed mechanisms driving Long COVID, from microvascular dysfunction to systemic inflammation, and what is required in the path towards therapeutics.
Early biological markers of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Our team followed people immediately after testing positive for COVID-19, collecting nasal swabs and blood samples days, weeks, and months after their illness. Our results showed that higher levels of the virus in the body and lower levels of antibodies that fight the virus during COVID-19 infection are associated with an increased chance of developing […]
Tissue-based T cell activation and viral RNA persist for up to 2 years after SARS-CoV-2 infection
Our team analyzed disturbances in the immune system and the presence of persistent COVID-19 virus in 24 individuals post-COVID-19 infection. We used a unique PET/CT imaging scan to look at the immune system throughout the body as well as gut biopsy procedures to assess the levels of COVID-19 virus in the gut lining of participants. […]
Plasma-based antigen persistence in the post-acute phase of COVID-19
We used an ultra-sensitive experimental assay on the blood of 171 participants previously infected with COVID-19 and 250 participants whose blood was collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to look for the presence of the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus. While pieces of the COVID-19 virus are common throughout the body when people first […]
Long COVID manifests with T cell dysregulation, inflammation and an uncoordinated adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2
We looked into the action of the immune system in the blood of participants with and without Long COVID symptoms at 8 months after their COVID-19 infections. In those with Long COVID, we found differences in the activity of certain immune cells, suggesting that there may be a disruption in the communication between different parts […]
Serotonin reduction in post-acute sequelae of viral infection
We collaborated with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania who investigated the level of certain blood proteins in 58 people with Long COVID. Compared to those who completely recovered from COVID-19, researchers found a significant reduction in levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in people with Long COVID. Serotonin is a molecule that regulates communication between […]