Q&A opportunity regarding coronavirus with Dr. Ron Davis.

[Diwi9]

MODERATOR'S NOTE: PLEASE LIMIT QUESTIONS TO THOSE PERTAINING TO CORONAVIRUS

Dr. Ron Davis, Director of the Stanford Genome Technology Center and Director of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Open Medicine Foundation, has offered to do a Q&A for the Phoenix Rising community regarding the coronavirus.

Post your questions for Dr. Davis to this thPread. In order to keep the thread clean, please limit posts to questions and defer from using this thread for discussion. After enough questions are posted, a list of questions will be compiled from which Dr. Davis will select some to answer. We hope to have Dr. Davis answer the questions via a video that will be posted in a future thread.

Many thanks to @Janet Dafoe (Rose49) for recruiting Dr. Davis to participate in this Q&A.

 

[Learner1]

What role do oxidative and nitrosative stress play in damage done by COVID-19? How does it compare to oxidative and nitrosative stress in ME/CFS,? And NAD+ depletion?

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ion_Addresses_All_Questions_in_this_Infection

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) generally develops with a massive oxidative/nitrosative stress following virus entry and RAS activation. The DNA damage subsequent to oxidative burst activates poly-ADP ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1), viral macrodomain (NSP3) poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) and transient receptor potential channel, melastatin 2 (TRPM2) in a sequential manner ultimately leading to apoptosis and necrosis due to NAD and ATP depletion.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964747/

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) ... Many patients carrying this diagnosis do demonstrate an almost bewildering array of biological abnormalities particularly the presence of oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS) and a chronically activated innate immune system.

 

[keepswimming]

Are people with CFS at higher risk of becoming seriously ill with coronavirus?
Is there anything we can do before contracting coronavirus, or once we get sick, to limit the damage?

 

[Goldfinch]

Is there anything available OTC that we should take if we get COVID-19?

 

[cassava7]

Is OMF planning to study cases of (potential) post-COVID19 ME/CFS to learn more about the pathogenesis and/or the early stages of the disease?

If so, how do you intend to:
1) get funding for the study: have you applied for a NIH grant?
2) identify potential cases?
If we define potential cases "recovered" COVID19 patients who report a reduction in daily physical and/or cognitive abilities, prolonged exhaustion, and intolerance to exertion/PEM-like reactions:
- Reach out to as many clinicians to ask them to refer such cases to the study?
- Mails, phone calls to COVID19 patients discharged from hospital(s) affiliated to OMF centers of excellence?
- Social media campaign targeting such cases?

Also, do you think COVID19 may lead to more biomedical research on ME/CFS in the mid/long term?

Thank you for your hard work and for hosting this Q&A. Best wishes

 

[Rebeccare]

Thank you @Janet Dafoe (Rose49) and Dr. Davis for letting us inundate you with questions!

• Do you have any thoughts on whether any of the potential coronavirus vaccines in development would be safe for people with ME/CFS?

• Based on what you've heard about people with ME/CFS who have gotten sick (if you have heard anything), can you draw any conclusions about how we tend to react to this virus?

 

[Pearshaped]

-Could COVID19 have an impact on ME research? if so,in what way?

 

[jaybee00]

How do post-Covid patients with CFS type symptoms report their data directly to you/OMF— is there an email address for someone who will collate these data?

I think this will be more efficient than having the patients go through a clinician to report data, but will obviously result in more data and require more filtering.

Thanks!

 

[jaybee00]

Also will you require that patients have the symptoms for at least 6 months post infection?

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Are you intending to apply for Gulf War Syndrome research funding this year?

If so, for what types of studies generally, might you seek funding.

Do you now if this funding source was affected by the COVID-19 shift in priorities for FY 19/20?

 

[wabi-sabi]

Do we know when this Q&A will be happening?

 

[wigglethemouse]

Are you intending to apply for Gulf War Syndrome research funding this year?

There is also the Department of Defence Medical research program that Congress granted ME access too ($350MM available for all projects) as recently announced by SolveMECFS
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...ictory-6-major-federal-wins-for-me-cfs.78855/

Any plans to form a partnership with the close by Palo Alto Veterans Hospital to apply for grants in your projects that could include veterans?

 

[Rufous McKinney]

There is also the Department of Defence Medical research program that Congress granted ME access too ($350MM available for all projects) as recently announced by SolveMECFS
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...ictory-6-major-federal-wins-for-me-cfs.78855/

That is what I am attempting to refer to.

 

[Gemini]

Questions for Dr. Davis:

1. Do you know of any current research into whether a person might have "genetic predisposition" to contract a COVID-19 "mild" versus "severe" case?

2. Might any of the ME/CFS genetic findings also be found in COVID-19 patients?

Thank you @Janet Dafoe (Rose49) and Dr. Davis.

 

[Spindrome]

Thankyou so much for this.

Can ME be triggered by any virus or infection and therefore the novel coronavirus?

Have there been any studies of similar viruses to coronavirus and ME/CFS?

Are there any reliable estimates on the number of COVID patients that will develop ME/CFS?

 

[Avena]

1. Are healthy people with recent (or previous) Epstein Barr more at risk for the severe Covid-19 course than other?

2. Sirolimus seems to be effective on Cytokine Storms in Castleman’s Disease - why is it not in the loop for testing on Covid-19 Cytokine Storm?

3. Plaquenil has been much discussed/tested on Covid-19. Do patients who are already on it (for example for Lupus) have a chance for this medication to be a positive thing for them despite also putting them in the risk group as an immuno suppressant?

 

[Gemini]

1. Do you know of any current research into whether a person might have "genetic predisposition" to contract a COVID-19 "mild" versus "severe" case?

2. Might any of the ME/CFS genetic findings also be found in COVID-19 patients.

Comprehensive Scientist, April 17, 2020 article "DNA Could Hold Clues to Varying Severity of Covid-19" summarizes worldwide research underway.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-...fRELcEioXBYMqz0RlE69cmMlcQUjUA&_hsmi=86538478

HLA research is mentioned; there are ME/CFS HLA findings, I believe.

@Janet Dafoe (Rose49)

 

[Diwi9]

I have now submitted questions for Dr. Davis to review. Thank you to all who posted questions. We will set up a new thread when Dr. Davis' video response is ready to post.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I have now submitted questions for Dr. Davis to review

Thank your for doing this!