Majority of the immune system is in the gut. It is also one of the main culprits that Long COVID researchers are finding RNA in causing immune dysfunction. > H

Majority of the immune system is in the gut. It is also one of the main culprits that Long COVID researchers are finding RNA in causing immune dysfunction. > High uptake in the gut was observed in people with persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms, as was single and double-stranded SARS-CoV-2 RNA in gut lamina propria, as measured directly by ISH in a subset of participants With modern day technology, we are now able to scan the whole body before and after a treatment. This can be applied to many diseases like Parkinson's, but largely being used in Long COVID trials today: > The ability to quantify pathogen and immune responses across the whole body before and after a therapeutic intervention could provide unparalleled information on infections that primarily persist in specific tissues outside the systemic circulation Finally, we really are entering a renaissance of being able to see our immune system in action for the first time. This will hopefully bring a cure to many diseases that are now thought to be driven by immune dysfunction / viral persistence / autoimmunity / etc. > Nonetheless, we are just entering a renaissance of specific noninvasive nuclear imaging developments to determine immune responses to pathogens and malignancies. For these to be realized, significant resources must be provided to develop, implement and improve these emerging noninvasive technologies and facilitate their implementation into clinical trial infrastructure. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-024-01948-0 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-024-01948-0 (may be paywalled, but is a great article) Beyond the nuclear imaging technologies, new tools like single-cell RNA sequencing, CRISPR screens, 5′-VDJ repertoire analysis, spatial transcriptomics, dual RNA sequencing and metagenomic sequencing, etc will help in unraveling the complexities of these complex diseases. Bonus: Here's a video of a friend who did this experimental imaging for Long COVID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwXRZFhGOM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwXRZFhGOM Hippocrates said all disease begins in it, so maybe we should've listened.