Episode 66: Prof. Danny Altmann Returns

Some 61 episodes ago, we first talked to Professor of Immunology, Danny Altmann. Recognised for his research, particularly in the areas of infection and immunity, Professor Altmann has become one of the leading academic and moral voices when it comes to the devastating disease of Long Covid. Since we last spoke, he has published a book with Gez Medinger called the Long Covid Handbook and written countless articles for newspapers as well as conducting the huge WILCO study and reviewing lots and lots of immunology research.

We wanted to catch up with Professor Altmann after the publication of his latest paper “The immunology of long COVID” in Nature Reviews Immunology. A hugely comprehensive review, providing an authoritative overview that looks at where we are globally, assessing a vast array of studies and data to present the leading contenders for mechanisms and ending with possible therapeutics.

Highlights from his review include serotonin depletion, gut biopsy findings, anti-virals, monoclonal antibodies and T cell depletion. In addition to the paper and his immunology expertise, Altmann was open to discussing some of the major issues that frustrate Long Covid suffers, doctors and researchers alike - the state of patient care, vaccines, and the lack of funding and ability to launch large scale trials.

Altmann is candid about how much we don’t know as well as how much progress has been made. He is keenly aware of the burden of Long Covid on health care, with his Nature publication highlighting that, should 10 percent of acute infections result in persistent symptoms (as previous studies have suggested) it could potentially mean that 400 million individuals globally may require assistance for the long-term effects of Covid.