- A small mechanistic study in Frontiers in Immunology analyzed chronic inflammation in COVID-19. Researchers assessed over 70,000 blood cells from eight participants across different disease states. They honed in on issues with a type of white blood cell, called memory CD8+ T cells, that respond to specific pathogens and may remain activated beyond the acute phase of COVID-19, leading to an impaired immune response. The researchers also identified seven genes that may help predict immune dysfunction. While this analysis focused on people with acute COVID-19, the study supports growing evidence about T-cell dysregulation in Long COVID.
- A recent paper found that low-dose rapamycin alleviated symptoms of fatigue and post-exertional malaise in people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The small study included 86 participants — all taking the drug, with no placebo arm — of whom 40 completed the full 90 days, taking 6 milligrams of the drug per week. Researchers measured specific markers of the metabolic system as outcome measures and found improvements in both that may link to potential biomarkers. “These findings support the safety of once-weekly low-dose rapamycin in [ME] and justify further investigation in larger controlled trials,” the authors wrote. Read more of our prior coverage on the study and an ongoing rapamycin clinical trial for Long COVID.
- A phase 2 clinical trial is recruiting in Boston, Massachusetts to test the drugs Pyridostigmine (Mestinon) and Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for ME. Pyridostigmine is a drug currently approved for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis. LDN is being studied in Long COVID and ME (higher doses of naltrexone are used to treat addiction). 160 participants will be divided into four groups: Pyridostigmine/LDN, Pyridostigmine/placebo, LDN/placebo, placebo/placebo. The trial will take three months for participants and include in-person and virtual visits. Contact: jsquires1@bwh.harvard.edu.
Editor’s note October 29, 1:42 p.m. ET: This story was updated to correct information about low-dose naltrexone and naltrexone.
