Bunk the Biologist

PhD in Immunology, Cell Biologist. Two-time covid long hauler. Co-investigator on a Long Covid trial. FB group: Long Covid - Improve via Fasting

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

Pleased to share our positive #LongCOVID trial results. Jeff Novack PhD of PNWU opened doors, made key contributions and otherwise made this possible. A patient-friendly, low burden, all remote trial. And a big THANK-YOU to all the trial participants!

https://t.co/n2S9VeEDEt

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@ImmunoFever Curiously, those that ate an early breakfast (before 9:30 am) were more likely to be good responders in our Intermittent Fasting for Long Covid trial. https://t.co/wkGXo0gF2K

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@ImmunoFever That is Mark Mattson's preference as well. https://t.co/i4e14jznUE

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@SolidEvidence Indicating SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence in someone for 2-4 years. Likely someone with Long Covid.

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@atranscendedman Many weekend warriors ended up with Long Covid. My sleepy bat virus theory... https://t.co/1BUIU29eIM

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@RogerSeheult @compoundperf More specifically, Near-infrared (NIR) light and red light induce autophagy—the body's cellular "recycling" system that clears out damaged proteins and old mitochondria. Helping to reduce inflammation and promote overall metabolic health.

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@RogerSeheult I have Long COVID. Autophagy inducers like Rapamycin trigger transient flare-ups. This morning I was in the shade from 10-12 noon.
Soon afterwards a wave of fatigue/PEM hit. Then I had strong headpressure and retroorbital nerve soreness for 3+ hours. Infrared light!

[Amy Proal, PhD @microbeminded2]

Check out these talk summaries from our recent PolyBio Symposium👇

Highlights include that four groups — Tim Henrich (UCSF), Marcus Buggert (Karolinska), Nicolas Huot (Institut Pasteur), and Esen Sefik (Yale) — presented different lines of evidence (human gut biopsies, non-human primate models, humanized mice) all pointing to the same conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 persists in #LongCovid gut tissue and adjacent lymphoid structures, and that persistence drives ongoing immune dysregulation.

[PolyBio @polybioRF]

This approach draws on evidence from the healthspan and aging field, where analogs of rapamycin have been shown to enhance antiviral interferon signaling, modulate T cell exhaustion, and improve antibody responses to vaccination. 6/

[PolyBio @polybioRF]

4:10 pm ET—Eduardo Reategui presented his team’s new BARA platform using extracellular vesicle detection to identify persistent SARS-CoV-2 in Long COVID samples. Though early clinical validation combining saliva and nasal swab testing using BARA, positive predictive value (“rule in”) and negative predictive value (“rule out”) both reached 100% for viral persistence. BARA will continue to be validated using different bio fluids, including Long COVID cerebrospinal fluid.

[PolyBio @polybioRF]

2:50 pm ET- Tim Henrich discussed new LIINC data showing localization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and proteins to the gut lamina propria, in addition to endothelium. Colorectal samples from Long COVID patients revealed upregulated innate immune-related transcription in goblet cells, colonic TACs & macrophages; and downregulated innate immune pathways in colorectal plasma cells.

[PolyBio @polybioRF]

12:00 pm ET—Nicolas Huot discussed a nonhuman primate study which found that replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 persists in the ileum of a post-COVID infected animal subgroup. The team found that SCV2 nucleocapsid protein-3 localized near aggregated lymphoid cell structures in the ileum, indicating a persistent gut reservoir. The SCV2 isolated from the ileum of these persistent animals was indeed replication-competent when grown in Vero cells.

[PolyBio @polybioRF]

11:20 am—Marcus Buggert discussed a longitudinal study in Long COVID patients tracking inflammatory & immune cell changes over time. The new data shows increased interferon signalling that was most elevated in the sigmoid colon, likely linking to SCV2 gut persistence. The data also showed a reduction in TGF-beta production in the T & B cells of Long COVID patients, indicating persistent immune dysregulation.

[PolyBio @polybioRF]

PolyBio’s Spring Symposium is tomorrow! Join us on Friday May 22 from 11 am-5 pm ET (3-9 pm UTC) for a full day of updates on PolyBio-supported research projects. Last chance to register! https://t.co/cGmooI0Ygk

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@Petrroll @liamsLCjourney @longcovidlabs Yes. That is correct. "Anktiva is a first-in-class IL-15 receptor agonist. When combined with BCG, it stimulates and proliferates the body's natural killer (NK) cells and T-cells to identify and destroy bladder cancer cells."

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@liamsLCjourney @longcovidlabs Very interesting, the BCG vax treatment story. How it triggered flareups is consistent with the stimulation of innate immunity/NK celks and potential gradual clearance of a sneaky pathogen.

[Whitney Dafoe @DafoeWhitney]

We Need Your Help

Imagine starving to death and being allergic to all food.  And everyday trying to decide between starvation and a deathly allergic reaction.  ME/CFS is like an allergy to energy expenditure.  Imagine everyday trying to decide between doing something that makes you feel alive or deathly sickness.  The more you do, the less alive you feel.  And the less you do, the less alive you feel.  And the more you do, the less you are physically capable of doing.  That is ME/CFS.  Everyday.  For decades.  

But if you don’t have ME/CFS, and are not allergic to life itself, you could decide right now to help us.  And it won’t cost you anything but an extra work day, or one less toy or luxury, or some other small sacrifice in an otherwise life full of blessings and opportunity.  Which I would not want to take away for a second.  But a small sacrifice from you would go a long way towards helping people living in absolute hell.  

Go here to donate to ME/CFS research: 
https://t.co/Ru1nyvjQqq

Learn more about ME/CFS here:
https://t.co/Umhh7me9eO

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#mecfs #mecfsawarenessday #mecfsawarenessday2026 #chronicillness #pwME #spoonie

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@RogerSeheult This is the same strategy as SARS-CoV-2; block Interferon alarm pathways and hence suppress innate immunity.

[Bunk the Biologist @BiologistBunk]

@Canal1point5 This makes sense, a promising new approach.

[Danilo.Buonsenso_Surf4Children @surf4children]

https://t.co/aRSKkiVHv8