- A new mechanistic study in Science Translational Medicine identifies Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) as a potential trigger of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus. Past research has shown that EBV may drive multiple sclerosis, as well as play a role in Long COVID and ME. Using advanced techniques and cell cultures, the authors discovered that EBV can convert B cells, a type of white blood cell vital to the immune system, into tyrants that reprogram other immune cells to attack tissues in the body. “This is the single most impactful finding to emerge from my lab in my entire career,” said one of the authors in a press release. “We think it applies to 100% of lupus cases.”
- During the PolyBio Fall 2025 Symposium, researcher Michael Peluso of the University of San Francisco, California (UCSF) shared updates on two upcoming trials. One potential trial that is not yet fully funded, called COMBAT-LC, plans to test the combination of the monoclonal antibody, Pemgarda, with the antiviral Paxlovid. A case series was recently published showing improvements in three people with Long COVID who tried the infusion Pemgarda, adding more evidence to suggest clinical trials should test the drug and other monoclonal antibodies.
- Peluso also gave more details on a second trial, INTERRUPT-LC, which will test the bladder cancer drug, Anktiva. The small phase two trial plans to include 20 participants with Long COVID at UCSF, who will receive two doses of the infusion to test it for safety and tolerability in people with the disease. (Note: a separate study we’ve covered in the past is also testing Anktiva for Long COVID, in another phase two trial in El Segundo, California.) UCSF Study contact: Emily Fehrman, Emily.Fehrman2@ucsf.edu
