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Tiziana Life Sciences Announces Publication of Positive Data Demonstrating Intranasal Anti-CD3 Antibody Attenuates Long COVID Neuroinflammation and Improves Cognitive Function
Data from independent academic collaborators published on bioRxiv support the therapeutic potential of the Company’s lead candidate, intranasal foralumab, for
About this update from Tiziana Life Sciences Ltd
[{"type":"text","content":"Data from independent academic collaborators published on bioRxiv support the therapeutic potential of the Company’s lead candidate, intranasal foralumab, for Long COVID associated “brain fog”.BOSTON, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiziana Life Sciences, Ltd. (Nasdaq: TLSA) (“Tiziana”), a biotechnology company developing its lead candidate, intranasal foralumab, a fully human, anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, announces the publication of positive preclinical data in a bioRxiv preprint. The study, titled “Intranasal Anti-CD3 Antibody Treatment Attenuates Post COVID Neuroinflammation and Enhances Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Cognitive Function in Mice,” demonstrates that nasal anti-CD3 treatment significantly reduces neuroinflammation, boosts regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the brain, restores hippocampal neurogenesis, and improves short-term memory in a model of Long COVID. Conducted by leading researchers including co-corresponding authors Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D. (Yale University) and Howard L. Weiner, M.D. (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School), the study used a respiratory restricted mild SARS-CoV-2 mouse model that recapitulates key neurological features of Long COVID without direct brain infection. Nasal administration of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody either shortly after infection or in the chronic phase increased brain FoxP3+ IL-10+ Tregs, reprogrammed microglia from a pro-inflammatory to a regulatory phenotype, reduced gliosis (astrocytes and microglia) in white matter and hippocampus, normalized CCL11 levels, restored neurogenesis, and rescued cognitive deficits. Human observational data in the study further showed that Long COVID patients with neurological symptoms exhibit lower circulating Treg levels, reinforcing the translational relevance. The full preprint is available on bioRxiv and has not yet been peer-reviewed.Link here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.07.716934v1 These findings show that nasal anti-CD3 can potently induce regulatory T cells that cross into the brain and dampen persistent neuroinflammation triggered by even mild respiratory viral infection. By reprogramming microglia, reducing harmful chemokines like CCL11, and restoring the hippocampal neurogenic niche, this approach offers a promising, non-invasive strategy to address the cognitive impairment often called ‘brain fo...