University of Zurich with a new approach – Long-Covid research needs staying power – culture
Some Covid sufferers are still struggling with symptoms many months after infection: exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, pain, breathing problems… There are still no effective therapies and research in Switzerland is still in its infancy.
The University of Zurich is daring to take a new approach: together with those affected, scientists have identified the most urgent research needs and the needs of the patients.
Milo Puhan, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Zurich, on the mysterious suffering after Corona and the lack of funds.
SRF: What are the needs and research priorities of long-Covid sufferers?
Milo Puhan: Those affected clearly want evidence of which therapies alleviate or even cure their symptoms. Unfortunately, too little is known about which treatments work and which don’t. Therefore, the top priority of research is to learn more about effective and ineffective therapies.
We try to involve those affected in the research process from start to finish.
Were there any research results that surprised you?
There are priorities around care and diagnostic processes: are there certain markers in the blood? Or how do we ensure that a diagnosis is also made by a general practitioner?
There were also various questions along the care and treatment chain: What is the best way to proceed after the diagnosis? Do you select therapies or do you refer the patient to another location for further clarification? This is where healthcare research can help.
In order to arrive at these results, you carried out a so-called citizen science project: those affected were carried out closely. How does this type of research work?
There are many individual steps in a research project: from the selection of possible questions to the implementation of projects. We try to involve those affected in the research process from start to finish.
This project is clearly about carrying out all processes together with those affected. As professional researchers, we wanted to hold back as much as possible so that the results ultimately reflect what is important for those affected.
There is no money for this type of research in Switzerland.
Why did you choose this approach? Does citizen science deliver different results than traditional research?
It doesn’t necessarily have to lead to different results, but very often it does. Citizen Science means that you include different perspectives. This is very important nowadays because there is a good chance that the research results will be more useful than if only the researchers’ perspective is taken into account.
Is there also money for this kind of research?
There is no specific funding for this type of research in Switzerland. There are foundations that help finance, or you can submit projects to the National Fund. But so far no specific research fund has been set up for it.
Other countries are further along: in the USA, a lot of money has already been promised for long-Covid research. More research funds are also being made available in England and Germany.
The conversation was conducted by Anna Jungs.