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Neutralization of AAB Targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors Improves Capillary Impairment and fatigue ... after COVID-19 Infection, 2021, Hohberger

Discussion in 'ME/CFS research' started by Ryan31337, Aug 19, 2021.

  1. Ryan31337

    Ryan31337 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Full title: Neutralization of Autoantibodies Targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors Improves Capillary Impairment and Fatigue Symptoms after COVID-19 Infection

    Abstract
    Clinical features of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Acute infection management is a substantial health care issue, and the development of a Long-Covid syndrome (LCS) is extremely challenging for patients and physicians. It is associated with a variety of characteristics as e.g. impaired capillary microcirculation, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and functional autoantibodies targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR-AAb).

    Here, we present a case report of a successful healing of LCS with BC 007 (Berlin Cures, Berlin, Germany), a DNA aptamer drug with high affinity to GPCR-AAbs that neutralizes these AAbs. A patient with a documented history of glaucoma, recovered from mild COVID-19, but still suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome, loss of taste and impaired capillary microcirculation in the macula and peripapillary region. He was positively tested for various targeting GPCR-AAbs. Within 48 h after a single BC 007 treatment, GPCR-AAbs were functionally inactivated and remained inactive during the observation period of 4 weeks.

    This observation was accompanied by a constant improvement of the patient’s fatigue symptoms, and taste as well as retinal capillary microcirculation. This phenotype is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report worldwide of a direct cure of symptoms of LCS. Therefore, we propose that removal of GPCR-AAb ameliorates characteristics of the Long-Covid-Syndrome such as capillary impairment, loss of taste and CFS.

    Open access, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3879488
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 19, 2021
    merylg, Joh, MSEsperanza and 16 others like this.
  2. Snow Leopard

    Snow Leopard Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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  3. Ryan31337

    Ryan31337 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    From the paper:

    upload_2021-8-19_21-54-39.png

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    upload_2021-8-19_21-55-4.png

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    upload_2021-8-19_21-55-31.png
     
    merylg, Michelle, hinterland and 2 others like this.
  4. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Bear in mind that these autoantibody tests are notoriously unreliable. There's a thread here re a new technique which should result in better autoantibody tests
    https://www.s4me.info/threads/reap-...-the-human-exoproteome-2021-wang-et-al.20747/
    more here re this technique
    https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.11.430703v1
     
  5. alktipping

    alktipping Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    it is impressive they managed to help this patients blood flow problems .but for the claim of improving the patients chronic fatigue from post covid is over reaching due to natural improvements over time for the majority of long haulers .
     
    Michelle, Skycloud, Andy and 3 others like this.
  6. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    I agree, it fits with some of my symptoms and we had Systrom recently deducing (from the results of i-CPETs) that there is a blockage in the capillaries and/or venules.

    And we discussed the idea of retinal microcirculation as a biomarker recently too.

    There is a company behind this - Berlin Cures.

    It's interesting that the man developed the fatigue syndrome, lost a sense of taste and developed high blood pressure only after his second Covid-19 infection.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2021
    merylg, alktipping, Michelle and 6 others like this.
  7. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    This account is complicated though. The man was already part of a glaucoma registry at this university, and it had already been noted that the man had autoantibodies targeting the ß2-adrenergic receptor. The man had had multiple operations on one eye - teh eye the data is shown for, and a cataract in the other eye.
    So, the first Covid-19 infection didn't change that (but added some more autoantibodies to the man's collection).

    This is interesting - capillary vessel density. They already had data from back in 2018. That's the first red spot, followed by the decline down. There is a truncated y axis, but still, the decrease (attributed to the Covid-19 infections) is impressive. Then there is the infusion of the autoantibody neutraliser, and a subsequent increase in the measure of capillary vessel density.

    Screen Shot 2021-08-20 at 5.54.10 PM.png
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2021
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  8. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    They measured the level of autoantibodies against G-protein coupled receptors (ß2-AAb (that's the one the man had already had), AT-1-AAb, α1-AAb, MAS-AAb, M2- AAb). The infusion treatment is reported as knocking the level of the autoantibodies right down:

    Screen Shot 2021-08-20 at 5.58.28 PM.png


    And then there's the fatigue scores, with the man's fatigue scores improving steadily to a healthy level over the month following the infusion. It's reported that other symptoms such as brain fog also improved and went away. And his glaucoma was fixed, to the point where he didn't need to use drops. And his blood pressure decreased.

    Screen Shot 2021-08-20 at 6.05.52 PM.png
     
    merylg, Joh, Campanula and 7 others like this.
  9. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

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    Regarding retinal microcirculation as a biomarker:

    They suggest that altered blood cell deformability and/or endothelial dysfunction might have something to do with the reduced microcirculation seen after Covid-19. and they think that these vaso-active G-protein coupled receptor autoantibodies have something to do with it.

    So, yeah, one person, no controls, unblinded, a commercial interest in finding something, other issues like possible impacts of the past operations, possible unreliable measurements of the autoantibodies. But still, interesting.
     
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  10. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    alktipping, Skycloud and Hutan like this.
  11. ME/CFS Skeptic

    ME/CFS Skeptic Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    1 patient, 21 authors?
     
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  12. Snow Leopard

    Snow Leopard Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    That is an interesting observation. It is likely because it is an experimental treatment that a lot of people are working on.
     
    merylg, Marky, FMMM1 and 1 other person like this.
  13. NelliePledge

    NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

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    Why do they bother with the Chalder Cosmo Quiz.
     
    Joh, Simbindi, Michelle and 3 others like this.
  14. Jaybee00

    Jaybee00 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    And one is named
    Szweczxykowski
    that should count double or triple
     
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  15. OverTheHills

    OverTheHills Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Thanks for the laugh @Jaybee00, I needed it.
     
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  16. Ryan31337

    Ryan31337 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Everyone wants in on the ground floor in case it turns out they "cured" long covid? Good for the CV I suppose... :laugh:
     
  17. Simbindi

    Simbindi Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    That's just inspired me to start a new game!
     
  18. dreampop

    dreampop Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Is there any reason why a g-coupled receptor aa would be unaffected by IVIG or Rituximab?

    Worth noting his fatigue might fall under what we call mild or very mild by me/cfs standards and was around 75 at the Bell score when he started treatment. That's pretty high tbh, I don't know how many patients would have a 75, but my guess is it's quite low. I suspect a lot of non-me/cfs post-covid fatigue is around this number, which by normal standards is very fatigued. The Chalder Fatigue score is more midrange - maybe 18/19 of 33.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2021
  19. moobar

    moobar Established Member

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  20. Marky

    Marky Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Just wanted to add: Fluge & Mella recently hypophezised ME might be driven by autoantibodies to g protein coupled receptors.
     
    merylg and oldtimer like this.

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