The Quebecer who wants to unravel the mystery of the long COVID

The curiosity of a Montreal doctor led her at the start of the pandemic to take an interest in the symptoms of long-lasting COVID, she who now hopes to solve the mystery of the disease thanks to her research clinic, the most important on the subject. in Quebec.

“We already have a better understanding of the sequelae that can occur and their evolution over time. We know that it can last a very long time: some have symptoms that last beyond 18 months, ”explains the D^D Emilia Liana Falcone, director of the post-COVID-19 research clinic.

As part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Le Journal was able to visit her clinic at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), which saw its first participant a year ago almost to the day. .

The goal of her study, she explains, is to fully understand the symptoms that poison the lives of thousands of Quebecers in order to explain the causes and find therapies for long-lasting COVID.

“Each patient is enrolled in the process, reports their sequelae to us, takes blood tests, completes assessments, etc. We learn on a case-by-case basis, especially with this disease which is not the same for everyone,” she underlines.

The impressive academic career of the D^D Falcone predestined her to take the reins of such a research project.

A unique journey

After completing her medical degree at McGill University, she obtained a specialization in internal medicine in Boston. Then she did infectious disease training at the National Institute of Health (NIH), specifically at the center run by none other than Dr.^r Anthony Fauci.

She thus had the chance to rub shoulders with the main adviser to the White House on the health crisis.

At the same time, she also obtained a doctorate from the University of Cambridge, England.

Newly arrived at the Research Institute, the D^D Falcone suspected early in the pandemic that there would be long-term complications associated with COVID.

“There are a lot of researchers at the NIH who were studying viral infections, and I was hearing about the long-term sequelae of these infections. In the context of the COVID, all that was not too far in my mind, ”she says.

Assumptions on the table

Fatigue, cognitive, concentration and memory problems, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, loss of smell: the symptoms that persist are now better known.

Thanks to the samples collected, the D^D Falcone is exploring various avenues in his laboratory that could explain this disease, which is still a mystery to the scientific community.

Three hypotheses are beginning to take shape and she is hopeful that the next year will be decisive.

It was her curiosity and her desire to understand “why things are the way they are” that prompted her to go into medicine, before she branched off into research.

“I also find that as a human, I have a responsibility to help my neighbor and this is my way of doing it”, confides the one who hopes to bring a solution to people suffering from long COVID.