Johan Van Weyenbergh (@johanvawe.bsky.social)

Prolonged immune activation in post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: neutrophil dynamics and therapeutic insights - Experimental & Molecular Medicine The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has had a major impact on global health. While vaccines have helped reduce severe cases, new variants and long-term effects, known as long COVID, remain concerns. Long COVID includes symptoms such as fatigue and breathing issues that persist after recovery. This study explores these long-term effects using a hamster model that can induce long COVID symptoms, as observed in patients with COVID-19. Researchers infected hamsters with the virus and studied their tissues using advanced techniques such as single-cell RNA sequencing and histopathological examination. They found that certain immune cells, especially neutrophils, were overly active in long COVID cases. The study also tested drugs targeting these cells and found that Sivelestat, a neutrophil elastase inhibitor, reduced symptoms and mortality. This suggests that targeting neutrophil activity could help manage long COVID.This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author. https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-025-01539-5