(From left) Jie Sun, PhD, and Jen Hendrick, MD
Researchers Jie Sun, PhD, principal investigator at UVA’s Carter Center for Immunology Research, and Jen Hendrick, MD, an infectious disease physician at UVA, were featured in Virginia Magazine discussing the impact of long COVID on patients’ lungs and how best to treat it.
Early in the pandemic, Sun realized that the crucial aspect of studying COVID lay not in people’s blood, but in their lungs. According to Dr. Sun, “In order to develop a treatment, we really need to understand what are the driving causes of developing these chronic conditions, and to not only understand the biology, but also develop preventive and therapeutic treatment options.” One solution may be the kind of medicine used to treat rheumatoid arthritis that lessens inflammation.
Dr. Hendrick is developing a clinical trial to explore the early use of the allergy medication dupilumab, typically prescribed for asthma and sinusitis, with the aim of preventing lung complications linked to long COVID.
Read the full article in the Virginia magazine.
Filed Under: Media Highlights