Cohen Center for Recovery from complex Chronic Illness: Research Updates

Prof. Dr. David Putrino outlined a range of drug-, supplement-, and device-based clinical trials targeting post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS), with a particular focus on Long COVID and related conditions. One trial evaluating an at-home microtesla magnetic therapy (MMT) device for people living with Long COVID. The device uses low radiofrequency magnetic fields to stimulate cellular processes in superficial and deep brain regions with the aim of reducing neuroinflammation. Individuals receiving active treatment demonstrated improvements after four and eight weeks in measures of visual attention, executive function, and emotional wellbeing, suggesting that non-invasive neuromodulation may offer benefits for cognitive symptoms. Putrino also described a case study investigating antiviral therapy targeting both SARS-CoV-2 persistence and reactivated herpes viruses. Patients received either a combination of valacyclovir and celecoxib (IMC-2) alone or IMC-2 together with a 15-day course of Paxlovid. Participants receiving the combination reported substantial improvements, with benefits persisting for up to two years after treatment initiation. Additional research include a trial of a wearable audiovisual neuromodulation device for chronic neuropathic pain in patients with clinically diagnosed Lyme disease. Treated participants experienced significant reductions in neuropathic pain symptoms. He also summarised several ongoing clinical trials investigating non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for dysautonomia in Long COVID, antiviral therapies including tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine, maraviroc, and the monoclonal antibody VYD2311 for SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence, tafenoquine for fatigue associated with babesiosis, low-dose rapamycin as an immunomodulatory treatment for Long COVID, and lumbrokinase supplementation to address vascular dysfunction and microclotting in Long COVID, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and ME/CFS. Together, these studies illustrate the growing diversity of therapeutic strategies being explored for PAIS while emphasising the need for larger, well-controlled trials to confirm efficacy and identify the patients most likely to benefit.