RECOVER-TLC to discuss launch of clinical trials at annual workshop
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health invite researchers, healthcare providers, and the Long COVID community to hear the latest clinical trials updates and provide input on future RECOVER-TLC clinical trials.
Registration is now open for the annual RECOVER-Treating Long COVID (RECOVER-TLC) Workshop, where attendees come together to discuss the program’s progress as it prepares to launch new clinical trials.
The third annual RECOVER-TLC Workshop will take place November 4-5, 2026, in Bethesda, Maryland, with an option to attend the workshop virtually. Hosted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), the workshop will provide updates on RECOVER-TLC clinical trials and emerging discoveries in Long COVID research. The event will also provide opportunities for community members to help inform future research priorities for RECOVER-TLC clinical trials.
This year’s workshop marks an important milestone for the RECOVER-TLC program. The foundational work of identifying and prioritizing possible Long COVID treatments is now translating into the launch of clinical trials for adults, children, and adolescents, moving years of research closer to effective treatments.
"We are committed to engaging the community in our effort to find safe, effective new approaches to treat Long COVID," said Lizzie Geerling, PhD, FNIH project manager for RECOVER-TLC. "This workshop will highlight the significant amount of careful and thoughtful work that has gone into designing these trials—because of how important it is to get them right. We want everyone to know that a lot is happening behind the scenes."
Registration for the workshop is now open for in-person and virtual attendance. Attendees are also encouraged to submit their priorities for future RECOVER-TLC clinical trials via a form.
Register for the 2026 RECOVER-TLC Workshop.
What to expect at the workshop
This year's RECOVER-TLC Workshop will offer 2 days of keynote presentations, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and community engagement designed to foster dialogue between researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, and people living with Long COVID.
The meeting will be hybrid, offering both in-person and virtual attendance options. It will begin with a panel discussion that places RECOVER-TLC within the broader Long COVID research landscape, demonstrating how the program builds on findings from other studies within the RECOVER Initiative and broader Long COVID research.
Attendees will hear updates about RECOVER-TLC's portfolio of clinical trials, including REVERSE-LC, which is currently enrolling adults to test the drug baricitinib, and 3 other trials that are preparing to launch:
- Tame-LC (semaglutide)
- Brave-LC (low-dose naltrexone, or LDN)
- Block-LC (stellate ganglion nerve block)
Updates provided during the workshop about each trial will feature a discussion panel made up of members of the Protocol Working Groups who helped design the studies, including researchers, healthcare providers, medical officers from NIAID, and people with lived experience with Long COVID. Panelists will discuss the complexity of planning and launching Long COVID clinical trials and share how RECOVER-TLC has overcome challenges in the planning process.
Sessions will also explore how emerging findings from the RECOVER Clinical Trials program (RECOVER-CT) can inform efforts within RECOVER-TLC, including strategies for identifying which treatments may be safe and effective among different groups of people.
Community input builds better research
A defining feature of RECOVER-TLC has been its commitment to engaging people affected by Long COVID throughout the trial development process.
RECOVER-TLC has invited the public to submit potential treatment ideas through a therapeutic submissions portal managed by FNIH. Researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, caregivers, and people living with Long COVID have submitted hundreds of treatment ideas through the portal, helping ensure that RECOVER-TLC considers a wide range of potential treatments. These different groups have also been directly involved in deciding which promising treatments to test. RECOVER-TLC continues to accept ideas for promising Long COVID treatments through the portal.
Community participation also continues long after treatment ideas are submitted through the agent prioritization working groups, protocol development, and the RECOVER-TLC Community Advisory Board (CAB). The CAB helps ensure that people affected by Long COVID continue to inform decisions that affect the RECOVER-TLC trials. Board members provide feedback on treatment priorities, study design, participant experiences and materials, and other aspects of clinical trial development.
This year's workshop will continue to place an emphasis on community engagement. The RECOVER-TLC Workshop registration form allows anyone to submit feedback before the workshop begins. Community input collected before and during the event will help inform future RECOVER-TLC clinical trials.
"We want the audience feedback to really be what's driving the discussion and the direction that it takes," Dr. Geerling said. "We want to hear directly from people what they would like to see happen in the future."
