100,000 euro donation for the expansion of the Erlangen Long COVID study to ME/CFS
15.03.2022 12:41
After the first “very successful” healing attempts in long-COVID patients, many expectations were placed on the heart drug BC 007, which PD Dr. Dr. Bettina Hohberger, specialist and molecular medicine specialist at the Eye Clinic of Erlangen University Hospital, verified this in a newly launched clinical study. PD Hohberger wants to investigate in another research project whether BC 007 is also the decisive key for a possible therapy for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). To ensure that this study can start as quickly as possible, Alexander Graef, first chairman of the Berlin association Brückeverbindet e. V., is now making a donation of 100,000 euros to the scientist and doctor. The sum will be increased to a total of 135,000 euros through the matching funds program of the Research Foundation for Medicine at the Erlangen University Hospital.
During the course of the current corona pandemic, it became apparent that a group of long-COVID patients in whom PD Hohberger's team was able to detect special autoantibodies in the blood and blood circulation changes in the eyes developed similar symptoms to patients with ME/CFS. “BC 007 is our great hope for the treatment of underlying mechanisms,” explains the specialist at Erlangen University Hospital. “Since we see great clinical similarities between the subgroup of Long COVID patients with virally induced autoimmune reactions and those affected with ME/CFS, we would like to use our experience with Long COVID for research into ME/CFS. The drug approach with BC 007 as a therapeutic agent for autoantibody-positive long COVID sufferers can also be transferred to patients with ME/CFS if they have these special autoantibodies against G protein-coupled receptors.”
BC 007 is currently in a registration study for severe heart disease. The validation of the positive effect of the drug against ME/CFS through a further clinical study could take the drug, which has so far only been used experimentally in Long COVID, an important step forward towards approval. “So far there is no causal treatment or cure for patients with ME/CFS,” explains PD Hohberger.
Funding through donations
The Berlin association Brückeverbindet initiated a fundraising campaign in autumn 2021 to financially support the BC 007 study for ME/CFS sufferers. “In total, the costs for such a clinical study amount to over 800,000 euros,” explains Alexander Graef, who personally came to Erlangen to hand over the check in order to find out from PD Hohberger about the current status of their research work. “Our campaign is ongoing and I am confident that I will soon be able to bring another 100,000 euros to Erlangen,” reports the first chairman of Brückeverbindet e. V. “We are very pleased about your dedicated support and support,” said PD Hohberger, thanking the Berliner. “Our common goal is that the study for the group of ME/CFS patients can also begin as soon as possible.”