Episode 74: Nancy Klimas, M.D. - Neuroimmunology

It is with an authoritative hand that Nancy Klimas M.D. seems to guide the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine at Nova Southeastern University, FL.

With over 40 years experience in understanding multi-symptom, multi-systemic illness, driven by neuro-toxic or viral injury, Klimas directs a 50-person-strong team to unpick some of the most complex and debilitating illnesses.  From HIV to Gulf War Syndrome and ME/CFS, Klimas has made her career out of unpacking these chronic conditions – scientifically and clinically – and we are lucky to find that her remarkable institute is now pouring this learning into Long Covid.

The team, made up of clinicians, scientists and computational biologists, bring together algorithms, laboratories and patients to create ground-breaking science and, most importantly, patient relief.  Their work in understanding chronic conditions has led them to launch their own podcast: Hope and Help For Fatigue & Chronic Illness.  And that title sums up what they offer.

To help patients, their approach of trying to restore homeostasis by addressing various symptom sets of the disease, is hopefully littered with easily available supplements – Quercetin, Luteolin, NAC and LDN (the efficacy of which she studied here).  With Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) prevalent in so many of her patients Klimas collaborates with impressive specialists, and shares resources with us for understanding and addressing related issues.

Dr Klimas describes the virus’s impact on our cells, viral persistence and the role of viral reactivation.  She has observed the t-cell dysregulation that long-haulers suffer.  She draws comparisons and notes the differences with ME/CFS.  And she has been involved in a study of Monoclonal Antibodies (MABs) that has put patients into remission in a week.  She is now embarking on a larger scale clinical trial to test this.

Whilst the scientific data and discovery is remarkable, it is the way in which Dr Klimas and her team have transposed this into tangible results, in this and other chronic conditions, that should give Long Covid sufferers hope.