Long COVID, a debilitating condition that lasts for more than three months after the initial infection, is experienced by one in ten infected people worldwide. Until now, very little has been known about the underlying biological mechanisms associated with it.
Dr Missailidis conducted a pilot study comparing the immune cells of people who recovered from COVID with those who went on to get Long COVID.
“We discovered two mRNAs that could distinguish people with Long COVID from people who have recovered after COVID, with 100% accuracy in a small pilot cohort.”
“DNA is the instruction manual from which our cells manufacture proteins, proteins being little machines that drive our biology,” Dr Missailidis explains. “And mRNAs are small photocopies of our DNA sent to the cell's factory floor to produce specific proteins.”
“By identifying mRNAs that are drastically altered in immune cells from people with Long COVID, we have some interesting clues into what could be going wrong in the immune system in affected people.”
This is promising news for people suffering with Long COVID, and Dr Missailidis hopes the research will contribute to the development of new treatments and blood tests.
“At the moment, we don't know what the underlying mechanisms are that cause and prolong illnesses like Long COVID. We also don’t have widely effective drugs or blood tests for these illnesses.”
“This discovery will help to identify targets for treatments and diagnostic blood tests.”
