- A double-blind clinical trial for Long COVID is recruiting to trial the amino acid peptide Larazotide (AT1001) on children and adults participants. The drug, which has been studied in celiac disease, will be given to 32 participants four times a day orally for 21 days; 16 people will receive a placebo. The study is being conducted in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more about the study in our reporting on clinical trials for children with Long COVID. Contact: lyonker@mgh.harvard.edu.
- A large RECOVER cohort study of over 12,000 adults found that “females had a significantly higher risk of Long COVID compared with males.” The study did not assess for intersex or transgender populations — participants self-reported sex at birth. Researchers found that female participants ages 40-55 had the highest risk of the disease. “We believe that the sex-based disparity in long-term illness burden due to Long COVID may increase in addition to existing postviral sequelae,” the authors wrote, noting that other similar chronic diseases such as ME, chronic Lyme disease, and post Ebola syndrome have similar gender disparities.
- Researchers in Japan stated last week that they have developed a peptide that can prevent COVID-19 infections. The peptide, composed of 39 amino acids, binds to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and would theoretically prevent all mutations of the virus from connecting to the ACE2 receptor on human cells, the researchers claimed. Research testing the peptide in cell lines and in hamsters will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In its story about the study, The Japan Times stated that researchers “hope to conduct a physician-led clinical trial for possible preventive and therapeutic treatment.”
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