Capital Region researchers awarded $3.9 million dollar grant to study long COVID – WRGB

Capital Region researchers awarded $3.9 million dollar grant to study long-COVID19

by Emani Payne

Long Covid Research (WRGB)

While the COVID-19 pandemic and the virus in general may seem like a thing of the past for many, its never left the minds of millions of Americans who are still struggling with long covid every day.

Its a far-reaching problem that Albany Medical College Professor Dr. Ariel Jaitovich and his team of researchers are working to better identify and understand.

Those lingering symptoms including things like shortness of breath, loss of smell and brain fog, are now identified as long covid.

Dr. Jaitovich and his team were recently awarded a 3.9 million dollar grant from the National Institutues of Health (NIH) to study long covid.

We havent been able to identify a blood test that can specifically make the diagnosis of long covid. We are conducting a study that is intended to identify substances in the blood called biomarkers in lab tests that can define objectively that a patient has long covid, said Jaitovich.

The team is also working to develop a way to better monitor disease progress, to more clearly identify if a patient is improving or getting worse. The study, which is still in its early stages, has already recruited hundreds of participants, desperate to find relief.

Saying this work is just the first step in hopefully one day slowing the virus down for good.

"Its extraordinarily difficult to investigate this disease on a large scale and without investigating the disease, its very difficult to understand it and potentially cure it," said Jaitovich.

The team is also partnering up with scientists at the University of Wisconsin on this research.

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Capital Region researchers awarded $3.9 million dollar grant to study long COVID - WRGB