Mitochondrial Meltdown: Researchers Unveil COVID-19’s Hidden Attack on Vital Organs
TOPICS:Children’s Hospital Of PhiladelphiaCOVID-19Mitochondria
By CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA AUGUST 13, 2023
Researchers have discovered that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can negatively impact mitochondrial genes, causing dysfunction in multiple organs beyond the lungs. This finding, suggesting that COVID-19 should be viewed as a systemic disorder, highlights potential new therapeutic targets, including the microRNA 2392.
Mitochondrial function in the lungs showed recovery, but this was not the case for the heart and other organs. This persistent damage could provide a potential explanation for the adverse effects associated with “long COVID.”
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, scientists have been working to understand the unique long-term impacts it has compared to other coronaviruses.
Now, a multi-institutional consortium of researchers, led by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the COVID-19 International Research Team (COV-IRT), discovered that the virus can adversely affect the genes of mitochondria—the powerhouses of our cells—leading to dysfunction in several organs beyond just the lungs. The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, pave the way for novel treatment strategies for COVID-19.