News from the USA, United States of America

'New biomarker may be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID'

'Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID.'

The study results, reported in the journal Infection, detail the detection of SARS-CoV-2 protein fragments within extracellular vesicles (EVs) - tiny, naturally occurring packages that help cells share proteins, metabolites, and other materials. The researchers collected and analyzed blood samples from 14 patients over 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training (56 samples in all) in a clinical trial led by Stringer in long COVID.

The researchers found 65 distinct protein fragments from SARS-CoV-2 inside the EVs. These fragments come from the virus's Pp1ab protein, an RNA Replicase enzyme which is key to how the virus copies itself and makes other viral particles. This protein is found uniquely in SARS-CoV-2, and not in uninfected human cells, noted Asghar Abbasi, Ph.D., a Lundquist Institute investigator and first author of the study.
 
Dakota15 said:
'New biomarker may be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID'

'Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID.'

The study results, reported in the journal Infection, detail the detection of SARS-CoV-2 protein fragments within extracellular vesicles (EVs) - tiny, naturally occurring packages that help cells share proteins, metabolites, and other materials. The researchers collected and analyzed blood samples from 14 patients over 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training (56 samples in all) in a clinical trial led by Stringer in long COVID.

The researchers found 65 distinct protein fragments from SARS-CoV-2 inside the EVs. These fragments come from the virus's Pp1ab protein, an RNA Replicase enzyme which is key to how the virus copies itself and makes other viral particles. This protein is found uniquely in SARS-CoV-2, and not in uninfected human cells, noted Asghar Abbasi, Ph.D., a Lundquist Institute investigator and first author of the study.
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I feel like this paragraph definitely puts the dampener on things:
"We haven't run [our tests] on people without long COVID symptoms who are currently, or who were, infected with COVID," said Stringer. "This raises the question: is this just continuing to take out the trash from the COVID infected cell or is this really ongoing replication someplace? I think that's the mechanistic issue that needs to be resolved in future studies."
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Lots of people who have had covid have some kind of persistent markers of infection in their blood and no long covid samples. So it stands to reason these post exercise markers could be a similar phenomenon.

Also they gave pwLC 12 weeks of aerobics training? I guess they haven't heard of PEM..
 
Is there a thread on this study? Didn't see yet

Scienmag (Science Magazine): 'Scientists Discover Crucial Biomarkers for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'

'In a groundbreaking advancement poised to reshape the understanding and diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), researchers at Cornell University have pioneered a novel approach leveraging circulating cell-free RNA (cfRNA) signatures detectable in blood plasma. This cutting-edge technique utilizes machine-learning algorithms to decode the complex molecular signals that dying cells release into the bloodstream, offering unprecedented insight into the elusive pathophysiology of this debilitating, often misunderstood chronic illness.'

'The research, recently published on August 11, 2025, in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details how plasma samples from ME/CFS patients and sedentary healthy controls were analyzed to isolate and sequence extracellular RNA fragments. These fragments serve as proxies for gene expression profiles from diverse tissues impacted by the disease. Utilizing advanced machine-learning classifiers, the team identified over 700 transcripts significantly divergent between ME/CFS cases and controls, facilitating a molecular signature indicative of the syndrome.'

'The project was conceived through a collaboration between the De Vlaminck Lab, under associate professor Iwijn De Vlaminck, renowned for pioneering cell-free nucleic acid technologies, and Dr. Maureen Hanson’s team, leaders in ME/CFS pathophysiology research. De Vlaminck’s laboratory previously demonstrated the diagnostic power of cfRNA in identifying Kawasaki disease and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), signaling the versatility of this approach in inflammatory and immune-mediated conditions.'

'Beyond diagnostics, the technology offers a potent research instrument to dissect the multifaceted biology of ME/CFS and related chronic illnesses such as long COVID. Notably, while long COVID has recently amplified awareness of post-infectious chronic syndromes, ME/CFS remains more prevalent and, in many cases, more severely disabling. The Cornell team’s innovation could therefore serve as a reference model for studying infection-associated chronic diseases with overlapping symptomatology but distinct molecular fingerprints.'
 
UCLA: 'What exactly is long COVID? Different definitions lead to widely varying estimates'

'Despite hundreds of published studies & millions affected worldwide, the medical field still lacks a clear answer'

'The study, published August 12 in JAMA Network Open, highlights just how much the lack of a standard definition is clouding our understanding of long COVID.’

"Without a clinically usable and standardized research definition of long COVID, it's like every study is using a different measuring stick," she said. "That makes it hard to compare results, develop treatments, or track progress. Without a shared definition, we risk mislabeling patients and misguiding care. This is more than an academic debate—it affects real people."
 
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Long COVID Families: 'Kids with Long COVID Speak Out on Capitol Hill'

'In July, during Pediatric Long COVID Awareness Week, Long Covid Families brought these voices to Capitol Hill to confront a national crisis. Millions of children in the United States are still waiting for answers, care, and a path forward. We came with one purpose — to make change happen.'

'Dr. Alexandra Yonts, director of the post-COVID program at Children’s National Hospital, spoke about the urgent need for specialized care. With only a few pediatric programs nationwide, countless families have no place to turn.'
 
Counter Punch: 'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and COVID'

By Leonard Jason & Arthur A. Mirin

'ME/CFS, already a long-neglected condition, has been thrust into the spotlight by COVID-19...'

'Whether this moment catalyzes meaningful scientific and policy advances will depend on the willingness of stakeholders across health systems, government, and society to respond proportionately to the scale of this emerging crisis.’
 
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Contagion Live: 'Remote Long COVID Trial to Evaluate Repurposed Drug Across US’

'Patients with Long COVID can now sign up to receive notifications about an upcoming fully remote clinical trial led by Scripps Research and supported by the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC). The trial will be conducted through CareEvolution’s MyDataHelps platform, enabling participants to enroll and take part from home.'

'The fully remote Long Covid Treatment Trial will enroll 1,000 U.S. participants to evaluate a repurposed drug for Long COVID treatment.’

'In an email interview with Contagion, Julia Moore Vogel, PhD, co-principal investigator of LoCITT, explained the trial design and goals.’
 
UConn Today: 'Carolan Awarded NIH Loan Repayment Award in Recognition of her Long-COVID Research’

'Kelsi Carolan, assistant professor in UConn’s School of Social Work, is investigating the effects of long-COVID on employment, family and social relationships, and mental health’“

'This award underscores the importance of examining how the illness affects people’s ability to work, sustain family relationships, and maintain their mental health, especially in communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.”

“I know that illnesses like long-COVID can have massive impacts on our everyday experiences—especially work and social/family relationships, and I knew that those aspects of the illness were likely to be under-addressed by healthcare systems,” she says.

“Through this project, I hope to understand the real-life challenges people are facing and help to build evidence-based solutions that improve health, stability, and wellbeing,” she says.
 
Dakota15 said:
Counter Punch: 'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and COVID'

By Leonard Jason & Arthur A. Mirin

'ME/CFS, already a long-neglected condition, has been thrust into the spotlight by COVID-19...'

'Whether this moment catalyzes meaningful scientific and policy advances will depend on the willingness of stakeholders across health systems, government, and society to respond proportionately to the scale of this emerging crisis.’
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First paragraph gives some estimates:
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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), already a long-neglected condition, has been thrust into the spotlight by COVID-19. ME/CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue, post-exertional malaise, cognitive impairment, and unrefreshing sleep. The projections we summarize in this essay underscore the profound and growing public health burden posed by ME/CFS in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 5.7 million individuals in the United States now are potentially affected by ME/CFS. The condition demands urgent attention not only for its debilitating impact on individual lives but also for its substantial economic ramifications. The estimated annual cost of ME/CFS, ranging from $225 billion to $305 billion, reflects both the direct strain on healthcare systems and the indirect costs of lost productivity and diminished quality of life.
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Article explains logic behind them.
 
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