Case Report: Neutralization of Autoantibodies Targeting G-Protein-Coupled Receptors Improves Capillary Impairment and Fatigue Symptoms After COVID-19  Infection.

Abstract

Clinical features of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Acute infection management  is a substantial healthcare issue, and the development of long-Covid syndrome  (LCS) is extremely challenging for patients and physicians. It is associated with  a variety of characteristics as impaired capillary microcirculation, chronic  fatigue syndrome (CFS), proinflammatory cytokines, and functional autoantibodies  targeting G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR-AAbs). Here, we present a case report  of successful healing of LCS with BC 007 (Berlin Cures, Berlin, Germany), a DNA  aptamer drug with a high affinity to GPCR-AAbs that neutralizes these AAbs. A  patient with a documented history of glaucoma, recovered from mild COVID-19, but  still suffered from CFS, loss of taste, and impaired capillary microcirculation  in the macula and peripapillary region. He was positively tested for various  targeting GPCR-AAbs. Within 48 h after a single BC 007 treatment, GPCR-AAbs were  functionally inactivated and remained inactive during the observation period of 4  weeks. This observation was accompanied by constant improvement of the fatigue  symptoms of the patient, taste, and retinal capillary microcirculation.  Therefore, the removal of GPCR-AAb might ameliorate the characteristics of the  LCD, such as capillary impairment, loss of taste, and CFS.