Cai et al. (2025)
- Authors: Ethan Cai, Valentina L. Kouznetsova, Igor F. Tsigelny
- Institutes: San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA, CureScience Institute, San Diego, CA, USA, BiAna Institute, San Diego, CA, USA, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Publisher: Metabolites
- Link: DOI
Summary
This research provides a novel AI-driven tool that can identify Long COVID by analyzing metabolic changes in the blood with high accuracy. By successfully separating Long COVID from other similar conditions like ME/CFS and Lyme disease, it offers a path toward faster and more reliable diagnosis. Furthermore, the discovery of a strong molecular link between Long COVID and fibromyalgia provides a new perspective on how these conditions might be related and treated.
What was researched?
The study focused on developing a machine learning-based diagnostic system for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) using plasma metabolomics.
Why was it researched?
PASC is a complex condition with heterogeneous symptoms that currently lacks a formal diagnostic test, making it difficult to differentiate from other chronic illnesses like ME/CFS.
How was it researched?
Researchers trained a multi-layer perceptron model using molecular descriptors of dysregulated metabolites to distinguish PASC from healthy controls and five PASC-similar diseases.
What has been found?
The model achieved high predictive accuracy and successfully differentiated PASC from ME/CFS, Lyme disease, POTS, and IBS, but found a significant molecular overlap with fibromyalgia.
Discussion
The study’s use of molecular descriptors provides a flexible diagnostic framework that avoids the limitations of fixed biomarker lists. However, the indistinguishable nature of PASC and fibromyalgia in this model suggests shared underlying pathological mechanisms.
Conclusion & Future Work
This automated approach could reduce the need for lengthy diagnosis-by-exclusion processes and facilitate earlier clinical intervention for patients. Future research should investigate the specific pathways shared between PASC and fibromyalgia.