Welcome to the Long COVID Research Breakdown!

Thanks for reading our very first post!

Welcome to the Long COVID Research breakdown! In this publication, I aim to share recent breakthroughs in long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome research in a format that is easily readable for the general public. My goal is to break down big studies by providing the relevant context and details needed to understand the overarching hypothesis driving the study; the methodology used; the results, both positive and negative; any implications from the results; and relevant limitations to the conclusions. As such, this feed will be geared toward non-scientists interested in learning a bit more about the research studies that ultimately inform clinical interventions for long COVID and other post-viral conditions.

A little background about me:

I am a neuroscientist by training, having worked in preclinical research labs for close to a decade. As a graduate student and a postdoc I study the cellular and circuit-based mechanisms of motivation in substance use disorders, and I specialize in genetic and pharmacological approaches in mouse behavioral models. In January of 2021 I defended my doctoral thesis at the University of Minnesota and moved to New York, NY to begin my postdoctoral training. In December of 2021, I tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a work gathering - a lapse in judgement with incalculable cost. Although I had a brief and mild acute illness, I woke up one morning 5 weeks later and could no longer think straight or stand up without feeling dizzy. Over the last 6 months I have received several life-changing diagnoses encompassing almost every major organ system, including hypermobile Ehler-Danlos syndrome and degenerative disc disease at the ripe age of 30. I have learned SO much about the complex interactions between the immune system, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system. Although simultaneously terrifying, I keep coming back to one thought:

This stuff is really f****** interesting.

From microclots to viral reactivations to virion persistance to autoinflammatory processes - all signs point to long COVID having distinct physiological processes induced by viral infection. We also know that post-viral illnesses, like myalgic encephalomyelitis, have been documented for centuries without any treatment breakthroughs or effective clinical interventions. It’s also clear that these long-lasting sequalae impact the body in ways our current medical system is not set up to research or understand. Funding for complex disorders spanning multiple body systems is hard to come by and the system is less than encouraging of researchers deviating from their narrow field of expertise. Fortunately, there are several groups doing great work to untangle the many factors at play in long COVID and post-viral syndromes. These critical studies deserve recognition, and more importantly, patients like myself deserve to understand how this research impacts them. I don’t think you should need a PhD in biomedical science to access this knowledge.

What really struck me is the need for clear, concise scientific reporting on the basic physiological mechanisms underlying post-viral illnesses as well as potential therapies and treatments - and thus, this publication was born. As a preclinical researcher, I will focus on the more basic and mechanistic studies where I have considerably more expertise; unfortunately I lack training in the methodological and statistical approaches to large, complex clinical trials. If you DO have this expertise and you’d like to contribute to the LC Breakdown, email me at jannamoen@gmail.com!

I hope this newsletter can serve as a tool and resource for anyone and everyone!