The long-term effects of respiratory infections equivalent to COVID-19 pose a significant burden on public health. Some estimates suggest over 65 million people all around the world are affected by Long COVID-19.
However, efforts to raised understand this condition have been hampered by its ability to affect several organ systemsequivalent to those affecting the lungs, brain and heart. To make matters worse, there are not any animal models that may adequately mimic the disease.
Animal models equivalent to mice and rats are a crucial tool for researchers to check human diseases and develop treatment strategies. Although there are major differences between humans and animal models, most of our immune and organ systems function similarly. Such similarities in physiology have led to significant discoveries in healthcare, including in reference to COVID-19possible.
I’m a Immunology researcher within the Solar laboratory on the University of Virginia. We study the role of the immune system in viral respiratory infections equivalent to influenza and COVID-19. In our newly published research, we developed a brand new mouse model to check Long COVID-19 and located that Blocking certain overactive immune cells can restore lung function.
New models, latest goals
Our team wanted to raised understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the respiratory system. To do that, we worked to discover key features related to lung scarring after COVID-19.
First, we examined lung samples from patients with Long COVID-19. Although these patients were infected several months to years before the samples were taken, we found evidence of overactive immune system of their lungs, especially in areas which have not fully recovered from infection.
Next, we desired to create a mouse model for Long COVID-19 by comparing the pathology of mice infected with 4 several types of respiratory viral infections. Surprisingly, we found that Mice infected with influenza virusesand never the COVID-19 mouse models scientists currently use, best replicated the physical features of severe chronic lung disease. The explanation why infections with different respiratory viruses affect the lungs in alternative ways are unclear, but early evidence suggests it could be because each virus attacks several types of cells “in humans and mice.”
Furthermore, since Long COVID-19 is in regards to the damage that continues to be after infection, it seems less essential which virus causes the issue in our animal model than that the damage is comparable to what we would like to handle in human patients.
With our latest mouse model we were capable of determine the presence of a abnormal cell accumulation in mouse lungs – that are made up of the identical dysfunctional immune and epithelial or structural cells present in the lungs of patients with long COVID-19. In addition, we found that the uncontrolled activity of those immune cells within the lungs prevented the structural cells from repairing themselves. It also prevented them from restoring gas exchange, the technique of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.
It is vital that we blocks the activity of proteins In conjunction with this overactive immune response, it reduced lung scarring and restored optimal lung function in mice.
Treatment of viral respiratory infections
Most approaches to treating Long COVID-19 are based on initiating treatment early after infection. To our knowledge, our study is the primary to discover strategies to treat respiratory symptoms of Long COVID-19 after the onset of this chronic disease.
The drugs we tested in our study have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat severe COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases. We hope our results can stimulate further research into the usage of these drugs to treat Long COVID-19.
Our work can also have applications beyond Long COVID-19. Growing evidence suggests that many viral respiratory infections equivalent to influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus result in chronic lung disease. In view of the 4 pandemics and much more respiratory virus epidemics Studying the cellular and molecular similarities between viral respiratory infections over the past 100 years might be critical to helping physicians reply to future viral outbreaks.
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