Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Feb 21, 2025 16 hours, 24 minutes ago
Editorial: I have mentioned these concerns in several articles before, yet crucial issues regarding SARS-CoV-2 - ones that fundamentally challenge the current school of virology - continue to be ignored. The approach researchers are taking will never lead to a cure for Long COVID. Instead, the number of people developing Long COVID will only increase.
The Critical Oversights in Long COVID Research
The root of this problem traces back to the early days of the pandemic when the media,
Medical News reports and certain unqualified individuals allowed the term Long COVID to gain traction, followed by the WHO’s introduction of PASC (Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2). This led to a cascade of missteps, where even brilliant minds in the medical and scientific communities have followed flawed lines of thinking in their search for a cure, despite existing evidence pointing in a different direction.
Most researchers are locked into their own narrow perspectives - whether it's viral persistence, autoantibodies, endothelial damage, sustained immune dysfunction, or chronic inflammation. However, these isolated approaches fail to acknowledge the bigger picture. We already have strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 disrupts over 2,800 cellular pathways, genes, proteases, and even cell types, leading to their dysfunction, damage, or complete destruction. Long COVID is not a singular disease or condition - it comprises thousands of different medical conditions resulting from these widespread disruptions.
More concerning is that certain researchers, including teams at the U.S. NIH, U.S. NIAID, U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, and the Department of Virology at Peking University, are aware of a crucial aspect of SARS-CoV-2 but have not been openly sharing their findings. Some scientists have subtly alluded to it in their research, but the full implications remain largely unaddressed.
The Unique Mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 That Many Ignore
What makes SARS-CoV-2 uniquely dangerous is its ability to generate non-structural proteins during replication - proteins that are not part of its genomic structure. These proteins, once dismissed as “junk proteins,” are in fact highly pathogenic. They can persist in the host long after the virus has cleared, and some even have the ability to integrate into the host’s cellular machinery, forcing the body to code for them as if they were part of its own system.
So far, scientists at the NIH and other research teams have identified around 1,600 of these microRNAs (miRNAs) and small viral RNAs (svRNAs) - and they are only just beginning to understand their mechanisms. However, many virologists - especially those clinging to outdated models - struggle to accept these new findings. This resistance to change will only delay progress further.
The Need for a Systemic Approach and AI-Driven Solutions
A comprehensive approach to Long COVID will require a macro and micro perspective, incorporating AI-driven analytics to process complex biological interactions. Even with AI support, we will still need collaboration from the biotech industry to develop cheaper and faster dia
gnostic tools.
The diagnostic process I developed for analyzing Long COVID patients already requires at least 370 biomarkers for an initial triage before further rounds of diagnostics can refine treatment plans. This does not even account for the 1,600 miRNAs and svRNAs that play a crucial role in the disease’s pathology. Unfortunately, many of these tests are expensive and time-consuming, further complicating efforts to implement an effective treatment strategy.
Breaking the Cycle of Fragmented Research
Unless Western researchers set aside their egos and work collaboratively - while those with vital knowledge share their findings transparently - current efforts will remain a waste of time and resources. A piecemeal approach will never work. We must combine macro-level systems biology with micro-level molecular insights to effectively address the complexities of post-COVID conditions.
The time for fragmented research and isolated theories is over. A systemic, collaborative, and AI-integrated approach is the only path forward.
For more about Long COVID, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-long-covid-is-a-misnomer-the-conditions-are-being-caused-by-viral-persistence-and-viral-peptides-similar-to-retrotransposons-and-introns
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