Long COVID and Post Acute Sequalae of SARS CoV 2 (PASC): Pathogenesis and Treatment

ABSTRACT Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Long COVID and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC): Pathogenesis and Treatment, organized by Drs. Michael Holtzman, Steven Deeks, Resia Pretorius and Catherine Blish. The conference will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 27-30, 2023. Many infections, including SARS-CoV-2, cause an acute illness that eventually resolves, with or without injury to host tissues. However, in some people, the acute infection triggers a chronic disease that is systemic, persistent (months to years) and, for some, profoundly disabling. Moreover, the proportion of those who have recovered from acute infection but then begin to develop chronic symptoms (aka, Long COVID), or some other major complication such heart disease, stroke, or diabetes mellitus (collectively referred to as the Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2, or PASC) is about 50% of this population, depending on how PASC is defined. Therefore, this Keystone Symposia conference aims to understand the progression from acute illness to chronic disease as well as address Long COVID and PASC, for the first time, with mechanism-based therapeutic strategies. The conference is designed to be multidisciplinary in nature and will have representation from distinct scientific, technological, and clinical perspectives with geographical, academic, and commercial sector diversity. It is anticipated that this broad set of perspectives will help to foster interactions leading to synergistic solutions to an unprecedented health care problem.