A project at Newcastle University investigating long-term inflammation of the heart following COVID-19 infection has received a huge funding boost. The UK public research University has been awarded a grant of almost £150,000 by the national charity Heart Research UK.

Around 10% of COVID-19 patients in the UK will suffer from so-called ‘long-COVID’, where symptoms continue for more than three months. In addition to causing chest infection and breathing problems, COVID-19 can also affect the heart, which is associated with poorer survival chances.

Possibly up to half of patients who are admitted to hospital with COVID-19 have ongoing inflammation of their heart muscle and vessels, independent of pre-existing conditions, severity and overall course of the acute illness, or time from the original diagnosis.

The aim of this project, which will be led by Professor Ioakim Spyridopoulos, Professor of Cardiovascular Gerontology at Newcastle University, is to study the role of the immune system in long-term heart inflammation. Professor Spyridopoulos and the team plan to:
• Identify specific blood markers that can tell us if there is still inflammation in the heart
• Understand the mechanism of this ongoing inflammation
• Discover which of the molecules in the immune response could be targeted by existing drugs to prevent future complications in patients recovering from COVID-19 and heart inflammation.

They will study blood samples from patients in the ongoing COVID-HEART trial, which involves a large UK consortium of leading researchers and clinicians led by Professor John Greenwood from the University of Leeds.

This research has the potential to identify new blood markers of heart inflammation as well as guide specific immune-therapies to prevent ongoing heart inflammation and therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients recovering from COVID-19.