Unlocking the mysteries of Long COVID: IT:U hosts leading immunologist to advance research

What if the key to understanding Long COVID, and other complex chronic diseases, lies in the intersection of biology and data science? That was the central question explored when Janko Ž. Nikolich, MD, PhD, a world-renowned immunologist from the University of Arizona, visited IT:U to deliver a keynote on “Immunity, Aging, Complex Chronic Diseases, and Informatics.”

Computational medicine for Long COVID research

Prof. Nikolich, a Regents Professor and Director of the Aegis Center of Excellence in Immunity and Inflammation, met with IT:U’s Prof. Kristin Reiche (Digital Molecular Medicine) to discuss potential collaborations on Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Their conversation highlighted how cutting-edge computational medicine and multi-omics data could help unravel the biological mysteries behind these debilitating conditions.

“We need to move faster. Patients are suffering now, and they need answers.”
Janko Ž. Nikolich, Cancer Center University of Arizona

Why Long COVID matters: A hidden health crisis

Long COVID affects millions worldwide, with 5–10% of people who contract COVID-19 experiencing symptoms that persist for months or even years. These symptoms, ranging from severe fatigue, brain fog, and heart palpitations to depression and post-exertional malaise, can be so disabling that many patients struggle to work or perform daily activities.

The economic impact is staggering:

80+ million people in the U.S. alone may have experienced Long COVID.
The condition is estimated to cost the U.S. economy $2.6–3.7 trillion over the next 10 years due to lost productivity and healthcare expenses.
Some studies suggest Long COVID has contributed to post-pandemic labor shortages .

Yet, despite its widespread effects, Long COVID remains poorly understood. Patients often face skepticism, misdiagnosis, or ineffective treatments. The disease itself is highly complex, with many presentations. That’s why research like Prof. Nikolich’s is so critical—it aims to identify biological markers, subtypes, and potential therapies to help those suffering.

The NIH RECOVER Study: A landmark effort to understand Long COVID

To tackle this complexity, the US-American National Institute of Health (NIH) launched one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on Long COVID with over 15,000 adults enrolled and data collected at multiple points, from symptom tracking and routine physical and laboratory exams to multi-omics profiling. In parallel, over 75 smaller studies are also searching for mechanistic clues in groups of participants with specific symptoms or clusters of symptoms.

This combined longitudinal approach allows researchers to track how symptoms evolve and identify biological signatures that could predict disease progression or response to treatment.

From data to treatment: The future of Long COVID research

While early clinical trials for Long COVID have had mixed results, Prof. Nikolich advocated for conceptual rethinking on how computational analysis could be applied to both fundamental and biomarker discovery and therapeutic intervention. He discussed a new approach:

Smaller, adaptive trials that test treatments in biologically defined subgroups.
Combination therapies to address multiple disease mechanisms.
Patient-centered research, where those affected by Long COVID help shape study priorities.

Given the complexity of data and research, Prof. Nikolich is exploring possibilites of collaboration. This is where IT:U’s Digital Molecular Medicine Research Group, headed by Kristin Reiche, could come in.

“Complex diseases with poorly understood pathogenesis require deep molecular characterization, ideally through single-cell multiomics, to generate clinically actionable insights.”
Kristin Reiche, Professor of Digital Molecular Medicine at IT:U