NCT07134673Recruiting
Mitochondrial Function in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, Muscle, and Skin of Long COVID Patients
Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption and Substrate Utilisation In Vitro in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, and In Vivo on Muscle and Skin in Long COVID Patients and Convalescent Individuals: A Case-Control and Diagnostic Accuracy Study
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 22 Apr 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Mitochondria are structures inside cells that are responsible for producing energy from nutrients through a series of steps, using oxygen. To have an idea of how well the mitochondria can produce energy, we can measure how much oxygen they use. The goal of this study is to: 1. To compare the oxygen use between people with long COVID and people who completely recovered after COVID-19, using three techniques that measure the oxygen use in blood cells, on the skin and in the muscle 2. To test how similar these three techniques are in measuring the oxygen used in the three different tissues Participants will: * Complete surveys, * Wear an activity tracker (7 days), * Undergo several non-invasive tests, and * Donate a blood sample The study will take place in UZ Brussel hospital and will take 2 study visits, approximately 7 days apart.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Observational
- Enrollment
- 54 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 25 Jun 2025
- Start date
- 21 Jan 2026
- Primary completion date
- 31 Jul 2026
- Lead sponsor
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel
- Diseases
- Long COVID and ME/CFS
- NCT number
- NCT07134673
What you commit to
- Study type: Observational
- Planned participants: 54
- From 21 Jan 2026 to the primary completion date, 31 Jul 2026
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Treatment with metabolism altering drugs.
- Treatment with metabolism altering drugs.
Other illness
- Pre-existing chronic diseases potentially affecting the functional status scale.
- Allergies to medical adhesive bandages.
- Porphyria and other skin conditions aggravated by sunlight.
- Convalescent individuals
- Pre-existing chronic non-communicable diseases (e.g. hypertension, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes).
- Allergies to medical adhesive bandages.
- Porphyria and other skin conditions aggravated by sunlight.
Other
- \> 10 standard units of alcohol (10 grams of alcohol/glass) per week.
- Unable to understand oral and written instructions in Dutch, French or English.
- \> 10 standard units of alcohol (10 grams of alcohol/glass) per week.
- Unable to understand oral and written instructions in Dutch, French or English.
Who the study is looking for
- Long COVID diagnosis, based on the WHO definition;
- Presence of long COVID symptoms for a minimum of 6 months.
- History of confirmed or documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Adult (≥18 years of age).
- Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale grade 2-4, while they had a grade 0 before the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- History of confirmed or documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Complete recovery after the SARS-CoV-2 infection, no history of long COVID based on the WHO definition;
- Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale \[2\] grade 0 both before the infection and currently.
- Adult (≥18 years of age).
Criteria the registry did not label
- Individuals with long COVID:
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laarbeeklaan 101 Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Jette | Belgium | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.