Autoantibodies and lingering viruses: new leads in fighting post-infection syndromes

Scientists are closing in on why infections trigger long COVID and other post‑infection syndromes, pointing to immune dysfunction, autoantibodies, and viral persistence as key drivers. With massive global burden and funding (RECOVER and international grants), researchers are building shared biomarkers and disease subsets, while trials test antibody‑depleting approaches and antivirals. No universal cure exists yet, but the field is moving toward faster, experimental‑medicine trials and cross‑disease collaborations to identify effective therapies.