VIPER Diagnostics Program Launches as first phase of PolyBio Long COVID Cure Initiative - PolyBio Research Foundation Program will validate diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 persistence and other drivers of Long COVID, providing a path to more targeted treatments...

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By linking validated diagnostics to clinical trials and therapeutic development, LCCI is designed to move beyond discovery and deliver scalable, patient-ready solutions for millions affected by Long COVID.

VIPER is the first phase of the Long COVID Cure Initiative (LCCI), a four-step program created by PolyBio to translate biological insights into real-world impact.

Funding was provided by a donor coalition that includes the Pagliuca family and Greg and Mindy White, each of whom has family members personally impacted by Long COVID.

“Validated diagnostics will allow us to run smarter, more targeted trials – and ultimately deliver effective treatments to patients faster.”

Steve Deeks, a man with short-cropped hair and white skin, is wearing a pale purple button-down shirt and green pants. He is leaning back on a hospital bed surrounded by IV poles and medical machines.

“Having witnessed how a single test can transform a complex disease like HIV, I am fully committed to doing my part to develop tests for Long COVID,” said Steven Deeks MD, Professor of Medicine at UCSF and a senior investigator in LIINC and VIPER.

These validated tools will enable precise patient stratification, improve clinical trial design, and accelerate the development of targeted therapies.

The program will conduct rigorous, head-to-head evaluation of leading diagnostic approaches to determine which tests most accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 persistence and other core disease mechanisms.

An initial $1.35 million has been deployed to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to initiate the program, with additional funding announcements forthcoming.

Medford, MA; March 24, 2026–PolyBio Research Foundation today announced the launch of VIPER (Viral Immunopathogenesis and Persistence Repeat Donor Cohort), the first program designed to rigorously validate diagnostic tests that measure SARS-CoV-2 persistence and other drivers of Long COVID.

A scientist with red, short hair and white skin sits at a computer screen evaluating a microscope slide. They are wearing a blue surgical mask. A large microscope sits on the desk beside them.

BREAKING: VIPER Diagnostics Program Launches as First Phase of PolyBio Long COVID Cure Initiative

Program will validate diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 persistence and other drivers of Long COVID, providing a path to targeted treatments.

A dark blue header with PolyBio’s logo and the words March 2026 newsletter sits above a blue microscope image of gut engorges cells. The words “latest news” are a header above the news section. The first news article shown in the newsletter is “Polybio scientists present long covid tissue findings at USA-Saudi biotech summit” with a photo of Amy Proal speaking in a white armchair on stage.

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If you live in NYC & have Long Covid—reach out to our clinical team now at CoreResearch@MountSinai.org to apply.

Interested in low-dose Rapamycin for Long Covid? The Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness is actively recruiting for a RCT of the mTOR inhibitor Sirolimus (Rapamycin). The trial aims to evaluate if changes to the immune response as a result of the drug improve Long Covid symptoms.

2/ which may build up in patients’ bodies as a result of SARS-CoV-2 or Borrelia burgdorferi. If you’re interested in participating in this trial, email CoreResearch@MountSinai.org.

1/ Long Covid, ME/CFS and Post-Treatment Lyme patients living in NYC: Mount Sinai’s CoRE clinic is actively recruiting for a clinical trial of Lumbrokinase. This enzyme breaks down fibrin, a coagulation factor linked to chronic symptoms,

This work is expanding how we think about Alzheimer’s disease, which is increasingly tied to the activity of pathogens that can infect the CNS. PolyBio is excited to be growing our program on infectious contributions to Alzheimer’s in 2026. (2/2)

PolyBio scientific advisory board member Dr. William Eimer led the recent discovery of beta-amyloid & tau proteins’ antimicrobial activity targeting Herpes Simplex Virus 1 in the brain. (1/2)

The meeting highlighted NK-cell activating therapies—namely, Bioshield—which is undergoing investigation in two clinical trials for potential treatment efficacy in Long Covid.

A key theme of the discussion centred around the long-term health implications of SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence, such as immune exhaustion.

PolyBio CEO Dr. Amy Proal & PolyBio-supported researchers Timothy Henrich MD & Steven Deeks MD recently presented data on Long Covid tissue findings at the inaugural USA-Saudi Biotech Alliance summit.

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If you have been diagnosed with Long Covid & live in NYC, consider joining this first-of-a-kind trial. Email CoreResearch@MountSinai.org to see if you’re eligible.

Want first access to antiviral therapies for Long Covid? We’re looking for participants for a clinical trial of Truvada & Maraviroc. The trial is using cutting-edge biological markers including deep immune profiling & EndoPAT to determine efficacy of these medications in LC.

We’re also ecstatic about this mAb trial—hopefully we can fast-track some effective LC treatments via the help of the SPEAR working group.

8 “may provide an extremely promising route to stopping and perhaps reversing some of that damage. We as a group are thrilled to take this next step with Invivyd."

7/ “Chronic exposure to SARS-CoV- 2 spike protein in any form may be driving ongoing morbidity in America, and we believe the monoclonal antibodies discovered and developed by Invivyd…

6/ "The SPEAR Study Group and Invivyd have longstanding interest in clinical disease that can follow COVID infection and COVID vaccination,” said PolyBio CEO and SPEAR founding member Dr. Amy Proal.

5/ The SPEAR working group, including core members of PolyBio Dr. Amy Proal, Or. David Putrino, Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, and Dr. Michael Peluso, has been crucial for the trial's design.

4/ The trial will focus on patients with Long
COVID who demonstrate evidence of chronic infection or antigen persistence in a variety of tissues, and COVID vaccine-injured people, including those who have demonstrated persistence of vaccine-delivered spike protein.

3/ VYD2311 may improve patient access to clinically significant mAb titres, due to its potential to be received intramuscularly.