Funding sought for study of long COVID -19
Integrated Tissue Dynamics investigating chronic symptoms of coronavirus patients
Integrated Tissue Dynamics is seeking government funding to use a patented treatment plan for chronic pain patients in a study about long COVID -19.
The lab has researched common symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder — fatigue, achiness and general malaise — that doctors have diagnosed in patients suffering the long-term effects of coronavirus. Frank Rice, ITD’S chief executive officer and chief scientist, said these symptoms were often considered psychosomatic, meaning it was in patients’ heads.
But about nine years ago, Rice and his fellow scientists used a tiny biopsy, half the size of a pencil eraser, to examine the skin’s nerve fibers and chemical characteristics, which led them to discover a pathology and damage to nerve fibers behind such symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.
“Our hunch is the same process may be going on with the long COVID patients,” he said. “And we have some ideas on how one could reverse or treat the consequences of those pathologies.” ITD wants to use its patented plan to explore the skin tissue of patients with long-haul COVID -19 and compare it to their previous findings. If given the chance, their scientists are planning to test the therapeutic idea they’ve created for fibromyalgia, PTSD and chronic fatigue to treat the long COVID.
Researching the long-term symptoms of coronavirus has become a hot topic among scientists emphasizing the need to reduce and eliminate its severity, according to Rice. The problem is they haven’t been able to look at the pathology enough to reverse the symptoms.
Dr. Amit Choprah, a pulmonary and critical care physician
treating long-haul COVID patients at Albany Med, similarly said it is possible the virus is causing some small fiber damage, but because the science community doesn’t understand the pathology behind it, how to treat it remains a question.
Most commonly, these patients come in with lingering respiratory problems. Some also have neurological symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, achiness and loss of smell and taste. A group of Albany Med doctors are researching genomic markers in long-term COVID patients to better understand who develops these lasting symptoms and how severe they are.
“It’s not my expertise, but I think if you do a small nerve biopsy … you may see autoimmune changes, you may see some damage to the nerve fiber endings,” he said, specifically pointing to nerve damage associated with loss of senses.
Nerve endings carrying smell and taste fibers don’t always regenerate properly, which scientists might be able to see under the tiny scope.
ITD is connected to physicians who can provide it skin biopsies from long COVID patients to analyze the pathologies in a clinical trial.
The lab is preparing to file for permission with the federal Food and Drug Administration before it seeks out funding to cover the cost.
“If we’re correct in what we’ve learned from these other diseases … that would hopefully mean that the therapeutic strategy we have will work and if that’s correct, that it would also work in treating the long COVID patients,” he said. “We think we have the potential to make some significant impact.”