COVID-19 has been an ongoing public health problem for a long time.
“The long-lasting coronavirus includes ongoing respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, and other symptoms that can persist for weeks, months, or even years after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Includes a wide range of symptoms. Estimates of long-term morbidity among non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19 range from 7.5% to 41%.1
Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome has some similarities in that its etiology remains unknown and cannot be formally diagnosed or treated. The common thing for everyone dealing with this condition is overwhelming fatigue that can significantly reduce and impact people’s quality of life. And without a diagnosis and specific treatment, this never-ending condition can last for months or even years.
At present, the long coronavirus often exhibits symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, and the symptoms are wide-ranging. Fatigue is certainly one of the lingering symptoms of long coronavirus, and there is no definitive test to diagnose this post-viral syndrome. This poses a problem not only for those afflicted by this virus, but also for clinicians who are trying to treat the symptoms but are unable to identify them. diagnosis.
But a company called Virax Biolabs is trying to help diagnose Long COVID using its proprietary T-cell testing platform. virax immunitywhich aims to provide an immunological profiling platform.
“We are currently focused on long-term COVID-19 infections, post-viral syndromes, chronic fatigue, and T-cell depletion. We offer several diagnostic indications for T-cells along these lines. and enabled us to identify patients suffering from these diseases at an early stage,” said Dr. Tomasz George, Chief Scientific Officer of Virax Biolabs. “We can offer this test that is very easy to use; it is an established technology that is implemented in most laboratories, and it detects the chronic inflammation and T-cell depletion associated with these post-viral syndromes. You will be able to do it.”
George explains that they are looking for cytokines and markers of inflammation to detect the long coronavirus.
“We take a blood sample from them and we treat that blood sample with a series of peptides related to the coronavirus. And what this does is activate memory T cells in the blood, It then releases cytokines that are specific to long-term COVID-19 infection, and we can detect these cytokines and signs of inflammation.”
ViraxImmune is a proprietary T-cell testing platform to determine whether an individual is capable of mounting a strong response to infection. T-cell tests are more beneficial than antibody or antigen tests because T-cells provide long-term immunity against pathogenic threats. The company says that by better understanding their immune status and consulting with their doctors, patients will have the information to make individualized preventive and protective decisions against viral threats, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. It is said that it will be possible to obtain.
infectious disease We recently spoke with George to learn more about how the company’s testing platform is being applied to identify long coronaviruses, and the company’s long-term plans to use its technology to identify post-viral syndromes. .
reference
1. Prolonged COVID-19 infections and significant activity restrictions in adults (by age group) — United States, June 1-13, 2022, June 7-19, 2023. MMWR. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 11, 2023 / 72(32);866–870. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7232a3.htm#
