Australian long-COVID study could unlock new vaccines and treatments for those suffering from the virus
Special cells with good memory could help develop new treatments against the coronavirus, thanks to groundbreaking Australian research.
A Doherty Institute study has found that memory T cells that recognise long-term COVID can fight subsequent infections for two years.
T cells fight viral infections by killing infected cells and can remember what they have experienced.
The study, which focused on the previously little-studied area of long-term COVID immunity, found that specific T cells in the 31 individuals studied were able to retain their key features 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 invested $14.5 million in long-term COVID research to gather better evidence for effective management of the condition in the community.
The money would be used to research how people experience long COVID, the impact on health systems, causes, and national trials to accelerate therapies.