An important step seems to have been taken in the research into the causes of post-COVID. René Lutter, immunologist at the Amsterdam UMC, discovered that the IDO-2 enzyme is present in post-COVID patients. C-support receives many questions about this. However, we are not directly involved in the investigation. We can therefore not yet say more than the current state of affairs.
According to the study, which was conducted on 15 patients with post-COVID, the body produces the metabolic protein IDO-2 to fight a COVID infection. In most people, the protein disappears from the body after some time. In patients with post-COVID, the IDO-2 enzyme remains present. This results in damage to body cells. This may cause patients to remain overtired. Theoretically, there are several ways to inhibit this enzyme. However, these still need to be investigated.
This research gives many people hope, but as Lutter himself indicates, we should be careful with premature conclusions and not give false hope. Whether the drugs in question can actually stop the enzyme and whether that then also leads to less fatigue in post-COVID patients is still uncertain. This now needs to be further investigated. We will therefore continue to monitor this research and, if more information becomes available, will share it on our site.
Question and answer
The presence of the protein IDO-2 cannot be demonstrated with a regular blood test. This is only tested for research purposes. Furthermore, it is not yet clear whether this enzyme is present in all patients with post-COVID and if it is present, what the exact significance is with regard to the complaints. For the time being, this research unfortunately has no direct significance for the diagnosis or treatment of post-COVID patients.
Treating patients with a drug is not yet possible. The researchers have only tested the effectiveness of various agents in a laboratory on blood samples from six patients. In each sample, the enzyme in the cells decreased very strongly, which resulted in less damage to the cells. It is still unclear whether the drug has the same effect in the body of patients as in the blood samples tested in the laboratory. It is also not yet clear whether this results in fewer complaints. More research is needed for this.
There is no study yet that patients can sign up for. The research group is working on obtaining funding to carry out this study. When this study starts, patients who have previously participated in post-COVID research within the Amsterdam UMC will first be selected.
The safety of the drugs is currently being tested on a small group of patients for the treatment of cancer. The pharmaceutical companies are therefore still cautious about providing the drug, because they first want to be sure that safety can be guaranteed. They indicate that they want to wait for further research results.
This is not possible. In order to guarantee the safety of any test subjects, it is important that the rules regarding research are followed. The hope is that the drug will be quickly released as safe for use in cancer patients and that further research of the drugs in post-COVID patients can also start in the short term.
