The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded a significant grant of $1.5 million to Jianyang Du, PhD, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, for a research study aimed at uncovering the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to neurological disorders caused by long COVID-19.
Dr. Du is an associate professor at the College of Medicine in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. Colleen Jonsson, PhD, director of the UT Health Science Center Regional Biocontainment Laboratory and professor in the Department of Microbiology, is co-investigator on the grant, and Kun Li, PhD, assistant professor at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, is a consultant.
As the world grapples with the ramifications of the COVID pandemic, there is increasing concern about the long-term health impacts of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID, particularly among those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Understanding how the virus affects the brain is vital for addressing the burdens of long COVID, which can severely impact quality of life.
Dr. Du’s team has developed a mouse model that mimics SARS-CoV-2 infection, allowing researchers to observe changes in behavior two weeks after infection. Remarkably, they found the virus’s genetic material in the brain just four days after infection, indicating direct effects on brain function. They also detected viral components specifically in neurons, alongside signs of immune system activation in the brain.
This research aims to provide insights into how the COVID virus alters neuronal activity, which could pave the way for new treatments to alleviate the suffering associated with long COVID and reduce health disparities linked to the pandemic. The study will focus on three key areas:
- Investigating whether the infection model leads to increased neuronal activity in mice.
- Understanding how the infection activates microglia, the brain’s immune cells, through interactions with neurons.
- Assessing how activated microglia influence surrounding neurons in response to the infection.
By shedding light on these complex interactions, this research could lead to effective therapeutic strategies to combat the neurological challenges posed by COVID.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Qian Ge, my postdoctoral fellow, for her significant contributions to the grant application,” Dr. Du said. “Dr. Ge’s preliminary data not only supports the hypothesis but also provides a solid foundation for further exploration. We also extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Long-Jun Wu, professor and founding director of the Center for Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Wu provided invaluable technical support for the grant application, and the progress of this work would not have been possible without his generous assistance.”