Long COVID Project

Long COVID is a Horizon Europe project with a duration of 48 months. that the project aims to unravel the mechanisms of the host-virus response underlying long-term symptoms after a COVID-19 infection. The global rise in patients experiencing long-term effects emphasizes the urgency of this research. According to various , 1 in 10 patients develops the Long Covid Syndrome (LCS). Currently, there is a lack of validated information on the underlying mechanisms of LCS, and therapeutic interventions have yet to be validated. It is therefore important to identify and understand the mechanisms behind the persistent symptoms and to use this improved understanding to provide adequate treatment and therapies to patients.

Since the 1^st of June 2022, the Long COVID project has been working to fill this gap by bringing together expertise in clinical medicine, virology, metabolism and immunology. Led by the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), the Long COVID consortium includes 12 partners from 6 different countries: Helsinki University Hospital (Finland; coordinator), University Medical Center Groningen (Netherland), Protobios (Estonia), Lipotype (Germany), University of Helsinki (Finland), Nuromedia GmbH (Germany), NEC Laboratories Europe GmbH (Germany), Chino SRL (Italy), Spinverse (Finland), Steinbeis Europa Zentrum (Germany), University of Zürich (Switzerland) and University of Basel (Switzerland).

To decipher the mechanisms underlying LCS, the project will conduct geographically diverse cohort and registry studies, mechanistic studies, and interventional and follow-up studies in LCS patients and will use novel high-throughput methods for biomarker analysis.

The consortium has outlined six objectives to be achieved during the 4-year research period:

1. Development of patient stratification and biomarker prediction algorithms
2. Identification of dynamics of immune responses behind the long-term clinical outcomes in LCS
3. Identification of novel biomarkers to guide stratification of patients according to differential symptoms and disease manifestations
4. Facilitation of clinical interventional studies for the management of LCS
5. Development of machine learning and artificial intelligence-based patient stratification and biomarker prediction algorithms (LCPS)
6. Effective dissemination and exploitation of results

The Long COVID project will have a positive long-term impact on LCS patients and clinicians through the development of the LCPS. This tool will empower clinicians to predict LCS and its clinical manifestations, aiding in the selection of personalized treatments for LCS patients. Thus, it will increase the hope and strength of patients to tackle the disease and will improve the mental health in patients, their families and the general society.

 

Website: https://longcovidproject.eu/
LinkedIN: Long COVID Project
X: https://x.com/LongCOVID_HE