{
  "abstract": "Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 has been proposed as a biological driver of Long COVID, a disabling chronic illness with no proven treatments. We conducted an exploratory, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 2:1 randomized mechanistic trial (NCT05877508) of the SARS-CoV-2-specific monoclonal antibody AER002 in 36 participants who met the World Health Organization case definition of Long COVID. After baseline characterization, participants received a single infusion and were followed for 360 days. The primary endpoint was the PROMIS-29 Physical Health Summary Score (PHSS) at 90 days; secondary and exploratory endpoints included patient-reported and objective measures of physical and neurocognitive function as well as blood-, imaging-, and tissue-based biomarkers. While AER002 was safe and well tolerated, no significant differences in physical health, quality of life, objective measures of physical function or cognition, or blood-based biomarkers were demonstrated between the treatment and control arms. In a post-hoc analysis, participants with a lower baseline SARS-CoV-2 antibody level and higher drug exposure were more likely to perceive treatment benefit based on the Patient Global Impression of Change scale ( p < 0.05 for anti-S, S1, and RBD). Although AER002 was not efficacious in this proof-of-concept study, our findings could inform future trials using monoclonal antibodies to target viral persistence in Long COVID.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 40,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Michael J. Peluso",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0585-6230"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dylan Ryder"
    },
    {
      "name": "Thomas Dalhuisen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9132-0496"
    },
    {
      "name": "Danny Hoi Tsun Chu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Meghann C. Williams"
    },
    {
      "name": "Antonio E. Rodriguez",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-7764-9640"
    },
    {
      "name": "Brian H. LaFranchi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joanna Vinden",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-6425-589X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emily A. Fehrman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Beatrice Huang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rebecca Hoh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kofi A. Asare"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kathleen Bellon Pizarro"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mohammad Sofiqur Rahman",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3793-5526"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emilio de Narvaez",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7383-6712"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mark M. Painter",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0180-2748"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. John Wherry",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0477-1956"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zoe N. Swank"
    },
    {
      "name": "Louise L. Hansen"
    },
    {
      "name": "David R. Walt",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5524-7348"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yoshinori Fukazawa"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anisha Sekar"
    },
    {
      "name": "Steven E. Bellan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Holly Tieu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Josephat Asiago"
    },
    {
      "name": "Prakash Bhuyan",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1937-9658"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rajeev Venkayya"
    },
    {
      "name": "Robert R. Flavell",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8694-1199"
    },
    {
      "name": "Henry VanBrocklin"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Daniel Kelly",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7616-0321"
    },
    {
      "name": "Priscilla Y. Hsue"
    },
    {
      "name": "Matthew S. Durstenfeld",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7612-3352"
    },
    {
      "name": "Peter W. Hunt",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4571-4870"
    },
    {
      "name": "Leonard Calabrese",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1789-4923"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ma Somsouk",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6116-3645"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jeffrey N. Martin",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9773-3256"
    },
    {
      "name": "David V. Glidden",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5888-1419"
    },
    {
      "name": "Amelia N. Deitchman",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4722-463X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Timothy J. Henrich",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6684-0622"
    },
    {
      "name": "Steven G. Deeks",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6371-747X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ec5fr33w8q514.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-77925-y",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13720204",
  "id": "ec5fr33w8q514",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77925-y",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
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      "2728|Long-Term Effects of COVID-19"
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  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77925-y.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13720204",
  "pmid": "42957665",
  "published": "2026-09-30",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ec5fr33w8q514.ris",
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    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2728|Long-Term Effects of COVID-19",
      "subfield": "neurology"
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  ],
  "title": "SARS-CoV-2-specific monoclonal antibody AER002 in Long COVID: an exploratory randomized phase 2a mechanistic trial",
  "title_text": "SARS-CoV-2-specific monoclonal antibody AER002 in Long COVID: an exploratory randomized phase 2a mechanistic trial",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:21:08Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ec5fr33w8q514",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}