- A drug originally developed for celiac disease was found to be safe and effective in treating a post-COVID syndrome in children, according to a new paper published in Science Translational Medicine. The small trial of 12 participants tested larazotide to treat multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), finding that it reduced gastrointestinal symptoms and cleared spike protein. “We are now running a clinical trial to test whether larazotide may also be a useful therapy to treat patients with Long COVID,” author Lael Yonker said in a press release. Read more about the trial in our earlier coverage.
- “Dormant cancer cells are like the embers left in an abandoned campfire, and respiratory viruses are like a strong wind that reignites the flames,” said one of the authors of a new study in Nature, in a press release. Using large epidemiological data sets and a mouse model, researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 and influenza can awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs. The authors stated that oral JAK1 and 2 inhibitors may help reduce risk of this specific cancer progression, but that they need to be further studied.
- An upcoming at-home clinical trial program for Long COVID, run by Scripps Research, is seeking participants. Long COVID Treatment Trials will run fully remote clinical trials that allow people with severe symptoms to participate, starting with one trial of a repurposed drug including 1,000 participants, according to a press release.* Learn more about the program and sign up for the trials waitlist here.
*Editor’s note: Julia Moore Vogel, one of the lead researchers of this study, is a member of The Sick Times’ advisory board.
