Emery, I. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

COVID-19 induces persistent transcriptional changes in adipose tissue that are not associated with Long COVID

Long COVID is a heterogeneous condition characterized by a wide range of symptoms that persist for 90 days or more following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Now more than five years out from the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the mechanisms driving Long COVID are just beginning to be elucidated. Adipose tissue has been proposed as a potential reservoir for viral persistence and tissue dysfunction contributing to symptomology seen in Long COVID. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from two cohorts: participants with subacute COVID-19 (28-89 days post-infection) compared to pre-pandemic controls, and participants with Long COVID compared to those with those classified as "indeterminate" based on the RECOVER-Adult Long COVID Research Index (12-47 months post-infection). We found no evidence of persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA in adipose tissue in any participant. SAT from participants with subacute COVID-19 displayed significant transcriptional remodeling, including depleted immune activation pathways and upregulated Hox genes and integrin interactions, suggesting resident immune cell exhaustion and perturbations in tissue function. However, no consistent changes in gene expression were observed between Long COVID samples and samples from indeterminant participants. Thus, SAT may contribute to inflammatory dysregulation following COVID-19, but does not appear to play a clear role in Long COVID pathophysiology. Further research is needed to clarify the role of adipose tissue in COVID-19 recovery.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

A proposed framework for evaluating meat alternatives

Concerns surrounding the environmental, economic, and ethical consequences of meat production and industrial agriculture have prompted substantial research and capital investment into the production of meat alternatives. Alternative meat production encompasses a variety of technological approaches including plant-based meats, cell-based or cultivated meats, meat alternatives relying on fungal protein sources, and hybrids thereof; each of which offers unique advantages and disadvantages and has been associated with a myriad of claims supporting it as the preferred alternative to animal-derived meats. As part of XPRIZE Foundations Feed the Next Billion competition, we developed a framework for evaluating meat alternatives by measuring their structural, nutritional, and organoleptic properties while also assessing safety and their purported environmental and economic benefits compared to animal-derived meats. The framework is technologically agnostic and can be used to evaluate meat alternatives of all types. The output of the framework enables a data-driven comparison to animal-derived meat and/or other alternative meats, allowing a range of stakeholders (e.g., food startups, investors, government) to assess technological readiness, competitive advantage, and impact potential. This framework can assist this nascent industry as it moves towards standardizing approaches to evaluating the quality, safety and proposed benefits of meat alternatives.

bioengineering↗