A new study has demonstrated the link between infection with Covid-19 and activation of the HERV-W protein in a cohort of hospitalized psychotic patients, announced biopharmaceutical laboratory GeNeuro on Monday.

In an article published in the scientific journal Translational Psychiatry (Nature group), GeNeuro reports that even unnoticed or asymptomatic Covid infection in psychotic patients can influence activation of the endogenous human retrovirus HERV-W in a context of innate immune inflammation.

According to the laboratory, this study highlights the possibility of developing new therapeutic methods and approaches for the treatment of psychotic patients in whom the HERV-W ENV protein is activated.

These results argue in favor of a precision medicine strategy targeting this HERV-W protein in these patients with post-infectious and immuno-inflammatory profiles.

As a reminder, the Group has initiated a program with temelimab, an antibody directed against HERV-W ENV, for patients with persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms following long-standing Covid.

At the end of 2022, it also launched a phase 2 trial to assess the clinical efficacy of a six-month treatment with temelimab on the improvement of cognitive impairment and/or fatigue in patients with long Covid and positive for W-ENV protein in the blood.

Results of the clinical trial are expected in the second quarter of 2024.

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