CTSI DISTINGUISHED SEMINAR SERIES

RANDALL J. URBAN, MD
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Vice President and Chief Research Officer, Department of Provost Administration
Vice Dean of Clinical Research, School of Medicine
Director, Institute for Translational Sciences
Principle Investigator, Clinical and Translational Science Award Program
University of Texas Medical Branch

Title: Similar Chronic Symptoms After COVID and Traumatic Brain Injury: Do PASC and BIAFAC Share Common Mechanisms?

The UB CTSI has the privilege of hosting Dr. Randall Urban, the Principal Investigator of the University of Texas Medical Branch Clinical and Translational Science Award. Dr. Urban has a distinguished track record of scholarly activity in clinical and translational science.

In this seminar, Dr. Urban will discuss the similarities between long COVID and traumatic brain injury. It is well known that the COVID-19 pandemic has left a subset of patients with lingering symptoms (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 or PASC) including fatigue and ‘brain fog’. These symptoms are strikingly similar to those seen in a group of patients following traumatic brain injury which have been coined Brain Injury Associated Fatigue and Altered Cognition (BIAFAC). These BIAFAC patients have an altered gut microbiome and abnormal growth hormone secretion, and growth hormone treatment dramatically reduces symptoms. Given the similarity between PASC and BIAFAC, Dr. Urban’s current research seeks to determine if these conditions share similar etiology, mechanisms, and potential treatment options. Preliminary results suggest PASC are also associated with microbial dysbiosis including an increased abundance of microbes that scavenge amino acids important for signaling and neuronal function. Growth hormone secretion is also dysregulated in PASC patients. Dr. Urban will discuss how growth hormone treatment shows promise at relieving symptom severity.

Hannah Norris, PhD
Email: hlnorris@buffalo.edu
Phone: (716) 829-4718