LongCovid Research Consortium (LCRC)

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The Long COVID Research Consortium is a collaboration of scientists from 25+ global institutions working to study and treat Long COVID.

Long COVID is not a mystery. New research is revealing multiple key drivers of the condition, including evidence that some patients with Long COVID do not fully clear the SARS-CoV-2 virus after acute infection. Instead, the virus can persist in tissue where it may continue to provoke the immune system and drive chronic symptoms.

The Long COVID disease process can also involve additional biological drivers. These include reactivation of latent pathogens such as herpesviruses, neuroinflammation, immune dysregulation, blood vessel abnormalities, and metabolic dysfunction. Together, these interconnected disease mechanisms may help explain the wide range of symptoms experienced by patients.

The Long COVID Research Consortium has established a comprehensive research program focused on uncovering the biological drivers of the Long COVID disease process. The program brings together scientists and clinicians from 25+ global institutions including Harvard Medical School, University of California San Francisco, J. Craig Venter Institute, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Cardiff University, and Yale University to investigate these mechanisms and translate findings into diagnostics and treatments.

Learn More About Our Projects

Our Scientific Team

  • Amy Proal, PhD

    Amy Proal, PhD

    PolyBio Research Foundation

    President/Chief Scientific Officer/Microbiologist with expertise in pathogen persistence
  • Nadia Roan, PhD

    Nadia Roan, PhD

    University of California San Francisco/Gladstone Institutes

    Senior investigator and a Professor of Urology with expertise on the tissue microenvironment, HIV, mucosal immunity, and reproductive health.
  • Michaela Müller-Trutwin, PhD

    Michaela Müller-Trutwin, PhD

    Institut Pasteur France

    Professor and the head of the “HIV, Inflammation and Persistence” Unit
  • Michael VanElzakker, PhD

    Michael VanElzakker, PhD

    Harvard Medical School

    Instructor, Division of Neurotherapeutics/Neuroimmunologist and expert in persistent central nervous system consequences
  • Soo Aleman, MD, PhD

    Soo Aleman, MD, PhD

    Karolinska Institutet

    Adjunct professor, Department of Infectious Diseases/Expert in viral infection and clinical care
  • Morgane Bomsel, PhD

    Morgane Bomsel, PhD

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

    Senior Researcher, Mucosal Entry of HIV and Mucosal Immunity
  • Petter Brodin, MD, PhD

    Petter Brodin, MD, PhD

    Karolinska Institutet

    Professor of Pediatric immunology
  • Marcus Buggert, PhD

    Marcus Buggert, PhD

    Karolinska Institutet

    Assistant Professor, Docent & Group Leader. Expert in cell-mediated immunity to viral infections and cancer
  • Sean Miller, PhD

    Sean Miller, PhD

    Mass Chan Medical School

    Research Scientist, Infectious Disease, Opthamology, Neurology
  • Sara Cherry, PhD

    Sara Cherry, PhD

    Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania

    Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
  • Helen Davies, MD

    Helen Davies, MD

    Cardiff University

    Consultant Respiratory Physician and Clinical Lead of Post Covid Respiratory Clinic
  • Christopher Dupont, PhD

    Christopher Dupont, PhD

    The J. Craig Venter Institute

    Professor in Genomic Medicine, Environment & Sustainability, and Synthetic Biology
  • Steven G. Deeks, MD

    Steven G. Deeks, MD

    University of California San Francisco

    Professor of Medicine in Residence/Faculty member in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine I
  • Wesley Ely, MD

    Wesley Ely, MD

    Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    Grant W. Liddle Chair in Medicine/Professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care
  • Shannon Stott, PhD

    Shannon Stott, PhD

    Department Chair & Professor, Biomedical Engineering
  • Alessandra Luchini, PhD

    Alessandra Luchini, PhD

    Professor, Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine  
  • Marcelo Freire, PhD

    Marcelo Freire, PhD

    The J. Craig Venter Institute

    Associate Professor in Genomic Medicine & Infectious Disease/Expert in inflammation biology
  • Chiara Giannarelli, MD, PhD

    Chiara Giannarelli, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology
  • Francis Eun Lee, PhD

    Francis Eun Lee, PhD

    Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

    Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine; Director, Asthma, Allergy, Immunology Program
  • Timothy Henrich, MD

    Timothy Henrich, MD

    University of California San Francisco 

    Associate Professor of Medicine/Therapeutic approaches to HIV-1/PET-based imaging of viral reservoirs
  • Akiko Iwasaki, PhD

    Akiko Iwasaki, PhD

    Yale University

    Sterling Professor of Immunobiology & Prof of Dermatology and of Molecular, Cellular, & Devel. Biology/ Epidemiology
  • David Izquierdo-Garcia, PhD

    David Izquierdo-Garcia, PhD

    Harvard Medical School

    Assistant Professor in Radiology & Assistant in Biomedical Engineering
  • Harlan Krumholz, MD

    Harlan Krumholz, MD

    Yale School of Medicine

    Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine (Cardiology)/Director, Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation
  • Elaine Lim, PhD

    Elaine Lim, PhD

    Assistant Professor. Programs: Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology
  • Alessio Fasano, MD

    Alessio Fasano, MD

    Harvard Medical School

    W. Allan Walker Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition/Director, Mucosal Immunology & Biology Research Center
  • Nikos Kyrpides, PhD

    Nikos Kyrpides, PhD

    Berkeley Joint Genome Institute

    Senior Scientist, Genome Biology Program Lead, Metagenomics Program Head
  • Maayan Levy, PhD

    Maayan Levy, PhD

    Harvard Medical School

    Assistant Professor of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania
  • Michela Locci, PhD

    Michela Locci, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Penn Institute for Immunology/Expert in lymphoid germinal center responses
  • Steven F. Maier, PhD

    Steven F. Maier, PhD

    University of Colorado Distinguished Professor and the Director of the Center for Neuroscience
  • Michael Peluso, MD

    Michael Peluso, MD

    Assistant Professor, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine
  • Saurabh Mehandru, MD

    Saurabh Mehandru, MD

    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

    Professor and Vice Chair of Research Division of Gastroenterology Department of Medicine
  • Peter Novak, MD

    Peter Novak, MD

    Harvard Medical School

    Inaugural Chief of the Autonomic Neurology Division/Expert in Small Fiber Polyneuropathy
  • Resia Pretorius, PhD

    Resia Pretorius, PhD

    Stellenbosch University

    Distinguished Professor and Department Head of Physiological Sciences
  • David Putrino, PhD

    David Putrino, PhD

    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

    Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mt Sinai Health System/Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine
  • David Price, MD, PhD

    David Price, MD, PhD

    Cardiff University School of Medicine

    Chair of infection and Immunity/Expert in viral infection and molecular immunology
  • Dominique Salmon, MD

    Dominique Salmon, MD

    Infectious and Tropical Diseases Professor, Coordinator of the the French National Authority for Health
  • Richard Scheurmann, PhD

    Richard Scheurmann, PhD

    The J. Craig Venter Institute

    Director of the JCVI La Jolla Campus/Director of JCVI Informatics/Adjunct professor of pathology at UCSD
  • Gene Tan, PhD

    Gene Tan, PhD

    The J. Craig Venter Institute

    Assistant Professor in the Infectious Disease Group/Expert in virus-host interactions
  • Zian Tseng, MD

    Zian Tseng, MD

    University of California San Francisco Department of Medicine

    Cardiologist/Associate Professor in RES-HCOMP/Expert in sudden cardiac death risk
  • Henry VanBrocklin, PhD

    Henry VanBrocklin, PhD

    University of California San Francisco

    Professor, Department of Radiology, and Director of Radiopharmaceutical Research
  • Lael Yonker, MD

    Lael Yonker, MD

    Harvard Medical School

    Physician Scientist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Center/Director of the MGH Cystic Fibrosis Center 
  • John Wherry, PhD

    John Wherry, PhD

    Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania

    Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor & Chair, Dept of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics

Research Priorities

The Long COVID Research Consortium program spans the following topics:

1) SARS-CoV-2 Persistence

Research studies are investigating whether SARS-CoV-2 can persist in tissue reservoirs long after the acute infection has resolved. Scientists are studying how persistent viral RNA or proteins in tissues such as the gut, lymph nodes, nervous system, and blood vessels may continue to provoke immune activation and drive chronic symptoms.

2) Co-Infections and Microbiome Imbalance

Studies suggest that Long COVID may involve reactivation of latent pathogens such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Bartonella, and other chronic infections. Researchers are also investigating how disruption of the gut microbiome and oral microbiome may contribute to immune dysfunction, inflammation, and impaired recovery.

3) Neuroinflammation and Neuroimmune Dysfunction

Scientists are investigating how chronic immune activation may impact the brain and nervous system in Long COVID patients. Research is using multiple forms of advanced PET scanning and other imaging technologies to examine mechanisms including neuroinflammation, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, and abnormalities in immune signaling that may contribute to symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, sleep disruption, and sensory hypersensitivity.

4) Blood Vessel and Endovascular Dysfunction

Research studies are identifying abnormalities in blood vessels and circulation that may impair oxygen delivery and tissue function in Long COVID. Current projects are investigating platelet activation, neutrophil activation, endothelial dysfunction, fibrin amyloid microclots, and inflammatory damage to the vascular system.

5) Mitochondrial and Metabolic Dysfunction

Scientists are investigating whether Long COVID disrupts the ability of cells to properly generate and utilize energy. Research is examining mitochondrial dysfunction, altered cellular metabolism, oxidative stress, and impaired oxygen utilization as potential contributors to profound fatigue, exercise intolerance, and post-exertional symptom worsening.

These projects push the boundaries of how cutting-edge technologies can be used in the study of chronic disease. These include sequencing technologies like spatial transcriptomics that allow for a detailed understanding of immune activity near identified virus; whole-body PET imaging technologies that allow for visualization of SARS-CoV-2 in deep tissue reservoirs; and single nuclei RNA sequencing to characterize the landscape of tissue, blood vessel, and nervous system changes.

The Big Picture

 

We stand at an important moment in time. Viruses beyond SARS-CoV-2 – such as Epstein-Barr Virus and the enteroviruses – are increasingly implicated in a growing number of chronic conditions including ME/CFS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Bacterial pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) are also increasingly connected to the development of chronic disease symptoms. Persistent viral or bacterial activity may even play a role in the human aging process, positioning this work at the center of longevity research. We are iterating the LCRC collaborative infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies towards the study of pathogen activity in these related conditions. This could usher in an era in which antivirals, immunotherapies, and related therapeutics become treatment possibilities for millions of patients across the globe.

Images Courtesy of Eric Song PhD, Iwasaki Lab, Yale University. 1) Top image of infectious SARS-CoV-2 (red) in a brain organoid causing cell death (apoptosis, green). 2) Bottom image of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles (dark circles) inside neuronal cells from a brain organoid culture after infection.

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