Trapped Inflammatory Molecules Contribute to Long COVID

Microclots in blood plasma may be behind Long COVID’s chronic symptoms.

| 3 min read
blood plasma

istock image

istock

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 200 million people around the world. For some, the symptoms of infection, including shortness of breath, muscle weakness, and fatigue, persist for months. This syndrome, called post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and known commonly as Long COVID, affects over a third of COVID-19 patients.

Resia Pretorius, a biologist at Stellenbosch University, Douglas Kell, a systems biologist at the University of Liverpool, and their colleagues found that inflammatory molecules remain trapped in small blood clots in people with Long COVID, which suggests that continued anti-clotting therapy may benefit these patients.

Pretorius and Kell worked on inflammatory diseases and clotting for about a decade before SARS-CoV-2 arrived. When the pandemic hit, they turned their resources to solving COVID-19-related problems and their aim soon became to solve an apparent paradox: COVID-19 complications can involve both excessive bleeding and excessive clotting.

In previous research, Pretorius, Kell, and their colleagues ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Roni Dengler, PhD

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio