BRC-funded researcher investigates long term effects of COVID-19 on the heart

Funded almost £150,000 by a national charity, this project will focus on investigating long-term inflammation of the heart following COVID-19 infection.

Around 10% of COVID-19 patients in the UK will suffer from so-called ‘long-covid’, where symptoms continue for more than three months. Ioakim Spyridopoulos, Professor of Cardiovascular Gerontology at Newcastle University has been awarded a grant by Heart Research UK to study the role of the immune system in long-term heart inflammation.

In relation to this work, Professor Spyridopoulos has recently been awarded a grant from the NIHR Newcastle BRC to look closely into this area, focussing specifically on the effects of this with older people. He comments:

While we are investigating T cell immunity in patients with long-covid and cardiac inflammation, we are also interested in the role of immune ageing in this context.

Read more about Professor Spyridopoulos’ Heart Research UK-funded study here