Yonker Lab

Drug for celiac disease shows promise in treating severe post-COVID syndrome in children In a small trial, Mass General Brigham researchers have found that a drug designed to treat celiac disease supported a more rapid return to normal activities for patients following COVID.

'Drug for celiac disease shows promise in treating severe post-COVID syndrome in children'

'In a small trial, Mass General Brigham researchers have found that a drug designed to treat celiac disease supported a more rapid return to normal activities...'

medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07...

Rally | Long COVID Clinical Trial (7 to 50 year-olds) Do you or your child have Long COVID? We are studying to see if Larazotide improves symptoms in 7-50 years old. There will be 2 visits at MGH and 4 virtual visits over 8 weeks. Compensation for blood ...

Here is the link for our long COVID study!

rally.massgeneralbrigham.org/study/pediat...

Our MISC clinical trial results, just published!

“Clinical Trial Finds Safe, Effective Treatment for Children with Severe Post-COVID Syndrome”

massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsr…

#COVID
@ScienceTM
@biotium.bsky.social

Viral spike antigen clearance and augmented recovery in children with post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome treated with larazotide In a phase 2 placebo-controlled study, children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome receiving larazotide recovered more rapidly.

Viral spike antigen clearance and augmented recovery in children with post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome treated with larazotide | Science Translational Medicine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@laelyonker.bsky.social et al.

🏷️ @buonsenso.bsky.social

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at a Crossroads In this Viewpoint, former members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) caution that the sudden change in the ACIP may reverse the achievements of US immunization policy, includin...

“Routine vaccination of ~117 million children from 1994-2023 likely prevented around 508 million lifetime cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and 1 129 000 deaths, at a net savings of $540 billion in direct costs and $2.7 trillion in societal costs.”

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Sorting Out Long COVID Symptoms in Babies A new study has identified distinct symptom patterns of long COVID in young children.

For many adults *and kids*, COVID is not just a cold

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Abnormal metabolic profiles in MISC and pediatric COVID:

“Despite milder clinical respiratory symptoms, children’s metabolic disturbances mirrored those seen in severe adult COVID-19 patients, indicating a shared inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2.”

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

I agree, I suspect these are real physiologic symptoms they are experiencing.

Even 2 years after post #COVID19 MISC, kids still have more somatic symptoms than control children.

Those with severe MISC also had worse executive functioning.

Great work by Caitlin Rollins @Bostonchildrens

doi.org/10.1001/jama...

#pedsky #longcovidsky

Congratulations to Pediatric Pulmonologist, Yanki Okuducu (off to Montefiore) and Adila Abulhamail (returning to Saudi Arabia)!

@mgfcpedipulm.bsky.social

Excited to be presenting as part of Top Abstracts session,
Conference on Shock 🤩

—> Increases in Monocyte Distribution Width portend sepsis in febrile children presenting to ER

Our global effort to raise the urgency of research into Long Covid in children published in The ERJ ⬇️

Huge thanks to @buonsenso.bsky.social and @laelyonker.bsky.social for leading on this.

#longcovidkids
@longcovidkids.bsky.social

publications.ersnet.org/content/erj/...

Equity in research: a global consensus statement on the urgency of including children in long COVID clinical trials ExtractLong COVID, a post-acute infection syndrome triggered by SARS-CoV-2, is now recognised as a major cause of disability worldwide [1], affecting both children and adults. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines long COVID in children as: “new onset of symptoms impacting everyday functioning that last at least 2 months, occurring within 3 months of probable or confirmed acute SARS-CoV-2 infection” [2]. While elegantly designed clinical trials have been established to identify effective treatments for long COVID, children are notably excluded. We propose that inclusion of children in long COVID clinical trials is justified, and unwarranted age-related exclusion criteria for current clinical trial designs impose unintentional and unnecessary barriers to treatment for children with long COVID.

Efforts are urgently needed to intentionally address inequity in long COVID research to include children early in clinical trial design. bit.ly/3RMGmYz

#LongCovid

@buonsenso.bsky.social @resiapretorius.bsky.social @longcovidkids.bsky.social @petterbrodin.bsky.social
@putrinolab.bsky.social

Excited to co-chair the #ATS 2026 Pediatric Program Committee with chair, Christian Rosas-Salazar! @crosassalazar.bsky.social

Mark your calendar- #ATS2026 is going to be a great one! 🤩

@ats-peds.bsky.social

Best part of #ATS2025- hanging out with my former co-fellow Sze Man Tse! @smtrespmd.bsky.social

This picture is iconic!

What an incredible crew: 🤩🤩

The 2025 ATS Pediatric Assembly Executive Committee, led by our fearless leader (and amazing role model) @terrilaguna.bsky.social

@ats-peds.bsky.social
#ATS2025

SIC awards! 👏👏👏

Huge congratulations to the Rising Star Awardees and SIC Abstract Awardees!

@divyabhatia.bsky.social
@sophieecollins.bsky.social
@lurod8.bsky.social
@meretelong.bsky.social
@wonnie1981.bsky.social
Jehan Alladina
Thomas File
Taylor Coston

@ats-sic.bsky.social talks are my favorite - really fun moderating this session!

Join us! Looking forward to hearing the latest advances in #LongCOVID.
I’ll be sharing new findings in kids with long COVID.

American Thoracic Society Science and Innovation Center Schedule for 2025

The SIC has an exciting slate of sessions programmed for #ATS2025. Join us to hear about One Health, AI, Wearable Technology, and more!
@atscommunity.bsky.social @ats-assemblies.bsky.social

stay tuned for this piece soon out on ERJ on very imp topic, hoping to wake up politics & funding agencies about the urgent need of facilitating pedi #longcovid trials
w @putrinolab.bsky.social @binitakane.bsky.social
@sammiemc.bsky.social
@laelyonker.bsky.social
@resiapretorius.bsky.social

TGFβ links EBV to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children - Nature Multisystem inflammatory syndrome following SARS-CoV-2 infection results from increased serum levels of TGFβ, which impairs the reactivation of virus-specific T cells.

TGFβ links EBV to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science!

Shout out to all the brilliant women doctors and scientists out there!

@mgfcpedipulm.bsky.social

#pediatric #research #STEM

JAMA Viewpoint:

“Regardless of the popularity or powerful interests behind a policy, the responsibility of the profession is to speak out when the science is clear that it will threaten health or safety.”

Nice discussion in Nature Medicine of existing frameworks successfully used to establish and support clinician researchers, and recognise their value, within the workforce including an outline of the potential return for investment @atscommunity.bsky.social

Journal A rejected my paper.

Now Journal A is “conducting a short research study to see how satisfied you are with the way your article was managed”

Ummmmmm….. 🤔

In other news…

⬆️ monocyte distribution width (MDW) is seen in sepsis/immune dysregulation, including severe burns.

Resolvin, ex vivo, can ⬇️ IL-1B and restore monocyte MDW.

Great to collaborate with Daniel Irimia and Saaed on this ongoing work!

faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/...

Please join us! I’ll be discussing long COVID in children with @binitakane.bsky.social , live tomorrow (Jan 22) at 1pm ET!

Image of Dr Binita Kane on the left and Dr Lael Yonker on the right. Text reads: LESSONS FROM THE US Number 3 LONG COVID IN CHILDREN LATEST RESEARCH Dr. Binita Kane talks with Dr. Lael Yonker Expert in pediatric pulmonary care and research and MGH pediatric COVID-19 biorepository lead LIVE: Wednesday 22nd January 2025 18:00 GMT THE LONG COVID CLINIC - WHAT YOU CAN DO You Tube @LCCWYCD. Also shown is the Long Covid Support logo.

🔥1/3 Fireside chat series from The Long Covid Clinic - What you CAN Do, continues!

🌟Weds 22 Jan 2024, 6pm GMT

‘Lessons from the US: #LongCovid in Children - Latest Research”

@binitakane.bsky.social & @helenoakleigh.bsky.social with Dr Lael Yonker!

See⬇️

@longcovidkids.bsky.social
#LongCovidKids