DoM's Dr. Vanessa Meier-Stephenson to lead trial testing of hepatitis C vaccine

University of Alberta researchers will lead two new cross-Canada clinical trials to help prevent hepatitis C (HCV) and treat long COVID, thanks to a grant of nearly $5.5 million announced today by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 

Lawrence Richer, a pediatric neurologist and director of the Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Centre, received $3,266,550 to lead a trial testing the efficacy of taurine supplements to treat long COVID symptoms, based on recent promising research by Gavin Oudit, cardiologist and clinician-scientist at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, and others. 

Infectious diseases specialist Vanessa Meier-Stephenson received $2,178,000 to lead a trial testing the safety and efficacy of a hepatitis C vaccine developed in the laboratory of Michael Houghton, director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute and co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Targeting inflammation in long COVID

The U of A study team that first identified low taurine levels in the blood as a predictive biomarker and potential treatment target for long COVID has since published another paper suggesting that taurine supplementation has already demonstrated clinical benefits in other diseases and now warrants large-scale clinical trials as a treatment for post-COVID condition. Long COVID, or post-COVID condition, is when symptoms last longer than 12 weeks following infection with the COVID-19 virus.

Taurine is an amino acid produced by the liver and also found in food that supports nerve growth, digestion, muscle function and the immune system. It is a required additive in baby formula and pet food, and is often added to energy drinks. Taurine also has anti-inflammatory properties. 

It’s believed inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain is linked to long COVID symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog, although the mechanism is not entirely understood, Richer and Oudit say.