Australian study into long COVID could yield new vaccines, treatments for people suffering from the virus
Promising Australian research could put an end to ‘long Covid’, the phenomenon in which some people suffer from debilitating symptoms for months after contracting the virus.
A study from the Doherty Institute has found that ‘T cells’ that recognise long-lasting COVID can fight subsequent coronavirus infections for two years.
T cells fight viral infections by killing infected cells. They can also remember what they have experienced and quickly fight a new infection.
The study, which focused on long-term COVID immunity, found that specific T cells in the 31 people studied were able to retain their key characteristics over the two-year period.
Long-COVID is a chronic condition in which people who have contracted COVID-19 experience symptoms for a prolonged period of time.
It can affect almost any part of the body and can cause extreme fatigue, muscle pain, decreased appetite, sleep problems and many more symptoms.
Louise Rowntree, a senior researcher at the Doherty Institute, said the research is good news for people who have had COVID for a long time because it shows their T cells are doing what they are supposed to do.
“It’s really positive news for someone with long COVID… the T cells are establishing themselves and they’re maintaining their status,” she told AAP.
Australian research could help treat long COVID, which causes many ongoing problems
‘The formation and maintenance of these cells during this two-year period provide real protection against subsequent infection. Furthermore, they also respond very well after the first vaccination.’
The research may contribute to future therapies and vaccines for patients with long-term COVID-19.
“SARS-CoV-2 vaccines stimulate both antibody and T cell responses, so we have been closely monitoring T cell responses and it is absolutely encouraging that we should be looking at therapies and vaccines that activate both antibodies and T cells,” Dr Rowntree said.
“Those T cells can help protect if the virus mutates, so they can provide protection even though the virus changes over time.”
In June, the federal government made $14.5 million available for long-term COVID research to gather better evidence for effective management of the condition.
The money would be used to research how people experience long COVID, the impact on health systems, causes, and national trials to accelerate therapies.
