While for many the global pandemic may be coming to an end, millions of people around the world are still suffering long-term effects from COVID-19. Studies suggest that between 20% and 40% of those infected with COVID-19 experience at least some long-term symptoms, ranging from mild fatigue and “brain fog” to more severe debilitating conditions such as headaches, sickness, muscle weakness and breathing problems . The truth of the matter is that we simply don’t know enough about Long COVID and how best to deal with it, which is where the Long Covid Research Initiative (LCRI) wants to make its mark. LCRI is led by a quartet of founders, one of whom is Dr. Amy Proal, a prominent microbiologist at the Polybio Research Foundation with more than 10 years of experience studying conditions similar to Long COVID — Proal was herself an ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) patient, which is similar to Long COVID. Proal is joined by Henry Scott-Green, a London-based product manager who has been absent from his day job at Google’s YouTube for more than a year due to the lingering COVID. Helga Gutmane, formerly an investor at KKR. and Nick Harrold, former SaaS startup founder. Dr. Amy Proal of LCRI
Move fast and fix things
Scott-Green first contracted COVID-19 in August 2020, and the symptoms he experienced in the months and years that followed include what he calls “overwhelming fatigue” and brain fog. “I’ve improved significantly over the past year thanks to a variety of treatments — at my worst, I was very unwell and unable to do even basic tasks,” he explained to TechCrunch. But it was his experiences trying to treat his condition, including working with health professionals, that set him on the path to where he is today — though he feels he’s been luckier than some other long-term COVID sufferers. The story continues “Two years ago, very few people – including doctors – knew about Long COVID and it was difficult to even get a diagnosis,” said Scott-Green. “I was lucky to eventually go to great specialists who helped me a lot, but a lot of people aren’t so lucky. Getting good quality care is still a huge problem for the vast majority of the huge number of people with this condition.” Although LCRI is effectively led by the UK, it is formally owned by the US-based PolyBio Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on the study of complex chronic inflammatory diseases. Despite its non-profit status, the tech background of LCRI’s founders could serve as the foundation for something more like an “impossible” startup and solve what Scott-Green calls the “global public health emergency” that is the Long COVID. Indeed, as well-intentioned and rigorous as some of the government-led programs and funding initiatives have been, Scott-Green said that in his experience, things move too slowly, which is why LCRI is adopting an operating model that is more like the “urgency and pragmatism” of a startup. “A long-term research program on COVID based only on government grants would take a long time to show results,” he said. “As a patient, I recognized the need to move faster and bring quick answers to the vast number of people suffering around the world.” To support its mission, the founders have assembled an impressive team of researchers and experts from Harvard, Stanford, Yale, UCSF, Johns Hopkins University, among other prestigious institutions, philanthropists and patient communities, who will work together to solving Long COVID. “We operate as a lean organization that prioritizes fast execution and close collaboration — and generally, and where it makes sense, trying to apply the organizational principles that have enabled technology to deliver large, ambitious projects quickly,” said Scott-Green . . “This has allowed us to bring together a group of the world’s best researchers to work collaboratively in a model that is not so common, on a mission to solve a disease and execute a common research roadmap that addresses the most pressing questions in the space. “ Henry Scott-Green of LCRI
A virtual research institute
LCRI’s remote, collaborative nature — none of the founding team has met in person — makes it essentially a virtual research institute. And it plans to take a two-pronged approach to achieving its mission, involving research and treatment. For the initial phase of the research, scientists from some of the world’s most distinguished institutions will share their collective expertise and study the disease mechanisms that make up Long COVID, while ongoing clinical trials will try to put the findings of research program into real treatments. None of this comes for free, of course, which is where today’s funding announcement comes into play. Buterin, best known as one of the creators of the Ethereum blockchain, is investing about $15 million in USDC stablecoin through the $100 million Balvi fund, which he established earlier this year specifically for COVID research projects. In addition, LCRI has secured commitments from the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation (CSSFF), a philanthropic organization led by surgeon, scientist and billionaire entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong with his philanthropist wife Michele B. Chan. “Balvi and Vitalik contacted Amy to inquire about supporting her research programs, and the partnership grew from there,” said Scott-Green. “The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation has made an undisclosed donation commitment, which is still under discussion.” While $15 million gives LCRI a decent start, it probably won’t be enough for the long term, so it’s targeting about $100 million in funding over the next few years — with plans to eventually expand its model to related conditions like Epstein’s — Barr virus and enteroviruses. But first, they have to deal with Long COVID. “In one to two years, we want to have raised significantly more funds for Long COVID research and have extensive research and clinical trial programs underway,” Scott-Green continued. “We will have our first results from the research program and we will be able to use those results to inform our clinical trial efforts. Our only focus is to find answers for people suffering from prolonged COVID and our goals are to understand the mechanisms of the disease and determine the treatment options”.
