£2.2m research project to improve treatment and understanding of Long Covid

The University of Birmingham is today launching a major new £2.2m government-funded research project to improve the treatment, causes and symptoms of so-called Long COVID in non-hospitalised patients.

The two-year project, funded through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), follows a UK-wide joint research call to fund ambitious and comprehensive Long COVID research.

Approximately one in 10 people with Covid-19 continue to experience symptoms and impaired quality of life beyond 12 weeks, which is known as 'Long Covid '. Common Long Covid symptoms include, extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, 'brain fog ', insomnia, heart palpitations, dizziness, pins and needles, joint pain, depression, anxiety, tinnitus, earaches, nausea, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite, a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, and changes to sense of smell or taste.

Through a partnership with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink using electronic GP records, the University of Birmingham-led team will identify and recruit thousands of non-hospitalised patients with Long Covid who have had symptoms for 12 weeks or longer to a major clinical digital study.

At the heart of the study will be the use of a digital platform, called Atom5� from med-tech company Aparito Limited, which will be configured for the study by experts from the University of Birmingham with patient input.

Participating patients will be given access to the digital platform, allowing them to self-report symptoms, quality of life and work capability.

A sub group of patients will receive blood and other biological tests to understand the immunology of Long COVID, and will wear a device that will measure their heart rate, oxygen saturation, step count and sleep quality.

Using their findings, the researchers will co-produce with patients a targeted intervention for Long Covid, tailored to individual patient need.

Delivered remotely in the community, via the Atom5TM app, it will provide critical support and information to empower patients in self-managing Long Covid.

All data gathered will be used to help the scientists characterise the symptoms, health impacts, and underlying causes of Long COVID syndromes in non-hospitalised patients - providing invaluable insight not currently available.

Principal Investigator Dr Shamil Haroon (pictured), Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care at the University of Birmingham, said: “Individuals with Long COVID frequently report experiencing diverse physical and psychological symptoms beyond 12 weeks that can be extremely debilitating.

“People living with Long COVID have indicated that they feel abandoned and dismissed by healthcare providers, and receive limited or conflicting advice.

“Meanwhile, neither the biological or immunological mechanisms of Long COVID, nor the rationale for why certain people are more susceptible to these effects, are yet clear, limiting development of therapies. It 's essential we act quickly to address these issues. ”

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “I am acutely aware of the lasting and debilitating impact Long COVID can have on people of all ages, irrespective of the extent of the initial symptoms.

“Fatigue, headaches and breathlessness can affect people for months after their COVID-19 infection regardless of whether they required hospital admission initially.

“In order to effectively help these individuals we need to better understand long COVID and identify therapeutics that can help recovery. This funding will kick-start ambitious projects to do just that. ”

The University of Birmingham-led project will include a Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP), made up of a group of Long Covid patients, who will work with researchers and clinicians to develop the research from a patient perspective.

The research team consists of multi-disciplinary experts heavily involved in Covid-19 research from the University of Birmingham, including Dr Krish Nirantharakumar, Dr Joht Singh Chandan, Dr Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi, Professor Janet Lord, Professor David Wraith, Professor Alastair Denniston, Dr Sarah Hughes, Dr Louise Jackson, Dr Grace Turner, Dr Samantha Cruz Rivera, Dr Anuradhaa Subramanian, Professor Georgios Gkoutos, Professor Elizabeth Sapey, Professor Tom Marshall, Dr Christel McMullan, and Professor Steven Marwaha.

It also includes Dr Puja Myles and Dr Tim Williams, of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Dr Elin Haf Davies, of Aparito Limited.