Background

Science in Action.

We are a 501(c)(3) advancing research on how viral, bacterial, and parasite infections drive chronic disease and aging. We build collaborative projects that identify, diagnose, and treat root causes of infection-associated chronic illness.

Focus areas include Long COVID, chronic tick-borne illness, ME/CFS, Alzheimer’s, and endometriosis. 

PolyBio is proud to drive discovery every day. Our $42M+ in research fund disbursement has catalyzed 50+ projects and 6 clinical trials, with more in the pipeline.

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Impact Report

Since 2021 we've funded over 54 research projects and connected scientists from across the globe. Download our Impact Report to learn more about how we're accelerating breakthroughs in Long COVID and related chronic conditions.

Latest News

Who we are

About Us

Complex chronic conditions like Long COVID and Chronic Lyme Disease are not mysterious or hopeless.

The opposite is true: we can use new tools to study pathogen persistence, environmental exposures, microbiome imbalances, neuroinflammation, gene changes, and other issues in patients with such conditions.

PolyBio brings together some of the brightest minds in science to research these topics in a proactive and open-minded fashion.

Our Mission

Our vision

  • To take current research, identify important existing trends, and translate the data into information that doctors can use in the clinic to help their patients. This includes the development of new advanced testing methods that can reliably characterise a growing number of disease-related abnormalities.
  • To take current research, identify gaps where data is lacking, and use such knowledge to support and collaborate with research teams whose existing tools can tackle the problem and develop new solutions.

Introducing

The Long COVID Cure Initiative

Long COVID has left hundreds of millions with crushing fatigue, neurological issues, and other life-altering symptoms. Yet there are still no FDA-approved treatments or validated diagnostic tests.

We’re at an inflection point: will this remain a mass disabling condition—or will we summon the will to solve it?

PolyBio has built deep scientific collaborations that have uncovered the root causes of Long COVID. With the Long COVID Cure Initiative launching in 2025, we’re moving beyond discovery to action—developing diagnostics and treatments at scale to:

  • Diagnose with precision through programs like VIPER, identifying the biological drivers of Long COVID and related conditions.
  • Deliver personalized care by linking each patient’s biology to the therapies most likely to help.
  • Accelerate cures by uniting science, industry, and philanthropy in transformative collaboration.

This isn’t incremental progress—it’s about rewriting the story of Long COVID: transforming despair into hope, restoring lives, and unlocking solutions that strengthen human health and the global economy.

LongCovid

Research Consortium

The Long COVID Research Consortium is a scientific collaboration to rapidly and comprehensively study Long COVID. The program includes scientists and clinicians from institutions including Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, the J. Craig Venter Institute, University of Pennsylvania, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Yale University.

ME/CFS Research Program

Our collaborative teams are also focused on delineating root causes and endotypes of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), including studying RNA virus tissue persistence and documenting drivers of neuroinflammation

Our Values

  • Quality

    We don’t cut corners. One high-quality study to identify and solve a problem is better than 100 studies that use sub-par technologies.

  • Urgency

    We are living in the midst of an epidemic in which the incidence of nearly every of chronic disease is on the rise. We act accordingly.

  • Innovation

    We use novel approaches and new applications of innovative technologies to build on cross-discipline expertise.

  • Compassion

    We know the tremendous suffering experienced by patients with complex chronic disease. Alleviating this suffering is our primary motivation.

  • Transparency

    We are determined to improve patient health but don’t guarantee a magic pill. We are realistic about the complexity of human biology and won’t overpromise.

Background

Areas of study

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Genes

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Microbiome

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Pathogens

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Inflammation

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Brain

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Immunity

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Metabolism

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Hormones

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Gut-brain axis

Our Team

Founders / Leadership

Amy Proal

Microbiologist with expertise on the molecular mechanisms by which persistent pathogens modulate human gene expression, metabolism and immunity. Serves as PolyBio’s President, Research Director, and on the Board of Directors. Amy is an expert in conceptualizing and coordinating large-scale collaborative research projects. She has written multiple review articles that delineate core biological drivers of the LongCovid and ME/CFS disease processes. She holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Georgetown University and a PhD in microbiology from Murdoch University in Australia.

Assistant Professor in the Division of Neurotherapeutics at Harvard University and a neuroimmunologist with expertise in persistent central nervous system consequences. Mike uses functional and structural imaging techniques to identify abnormal patterns in brain inflammation and metabolism in patients with infection-associated chronic disease. He facilitates collaboration among PolyBio research teams and serves on the Board of Directors. He received a master’s degree in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Colorado and a PhD in experimental clinical psychology at Tufts University.

Sarah Kalloch

Mission-driven executive with 20+ years leading innovation at the intersection of science, strategy, and systems change. Serves as PolyBio’s Chief Operations & Innovation Officer, working with the CEO and Board to drive the Foundation’s strategic growth and operational excellence. Deep expertise in scaling organizations, forging cross-sector partnerships, and turning bold ideas into impact at organizations including Physicians for Human Rights, Oxfam America, and Good Jobs Institute. She holds a BA in Social Studies from Harvard University and an MBA with a focus on sustainable operations from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Senior Advisor

Principal at Public Purpose Strategies with 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, social entrepreneurship, and policy development. In 1988, Michael co-founded City Year, a leading national service organization that served as an inspiration for AmeriCorps, the federal initiative through which more than one million Americans have served their country. Michael is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review.

Scientific Advisory Board

Instructor in the Neurology Department of Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School. Innovator of experimental models for the study of amyloid biology and infection in neurodegenerative disease. His current research focuses on characterizing amyloid’s activity as an antimicrobial peptide that forms in response to viral and bacterial pathogens. William holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Northwestern University and completed postdoctoral work on genetics & Alzheimer’s disease biology at Harvard University.

Clinician-scientist determined to map inflammatory signatures specific to the microbiome in a creative fashion. Also an oral surgeon, Professor of Genomic Medicine, and member of the J. Craig Venter Institute infectious disease department. Life prior to disease is his mantra! Marcelo holds a DDS from College of Dentistry, Campos, Rio de Janeiro, a PhD in Craniofacial Molecular Biology from University of Southern California, and a DMedSc in Oral Medicine and Infectious Diseases from Harvard University.

CRISPR-Cas system discovery specialist at Mammoth Biosciences with a passion for developing & using technologies to identify novel genes from big data. Co-founder & Head of Bioinformatics at Ancilia Therapeutics focused on bacteriophage genomics and microbiome. Also an affiliate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Joint Genome Institute. David holds a Ph.D. in synthetic and molecular biology and biochemistry techniques from the CNB-CSIC in Madrid, Spain, and completed a postdoctoral position at UC Berkeley on metagenomics.

Scientist at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biology of Ageing working to understand how cellular organelles sense and respond to intracellular pathogens. Expert in mitochondrial dynamics, parasite biology, and immunometabolism. Lena holds a PhD in microbiology & immunology from Stanford University and completed postdoctoral research on the biology of infection at the University of Padua, Italy.

Board of Directors

Currently a Senior Advisor to ArcLight Capital Partners and a Board member of TransMontaigne Partners, Francis has thirty years of experience in the planning, design, investment and governance of commodity related infrastructure businesses.  He was previously a Director of Investments at Vitol, Executive Director of Morgan Stanley and Project Manager at AECOM.  Francis holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Expert with nearly 10 years’ experience in the legal field, focusing on private equity and corporate law. Serves as Senior Director and Head of the Legal, Americas at Gordon Brothers, where he oversees the firm’s front-line transactional counsel primarily for the Brands, Real Estate and Valuations practices. Advises on legal strategy, transaction strategy and negotiation, corporate governance, and corporate development opportunities. John holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University.

Over 15 years of experience in the private equity and investment banking industries. He is currently a Partner at Newlight Partners, where he focuses on investments in power and infrastructure. Prior to joining Newlight he worked as Managing Director to its predecessor, the Strategic Investments Group of Soros Fund Management, as an Investment Banking Analyst for Bear Stearns, and as an Analyst for the Royal Bank of Scotland. Mark holds a Bachelor in Science and Foreign Service in International Economics from Georgetown University.

Pediatric infectious disease physician with expertise in Lyme disease and HIV/AIDS. Charlotte worked at Boston Children’s Hospital Division of Infectious Diseases and the Dean Center for Tickborne Illness at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She is passionate about translating research on Borrelia burgdorferi and related vector-borne pathogens into cutting-edge clinical care. Charlotte received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and did residency and infectious disease fellowship training at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also serves on PolyBio’s Board of Directors.

Jessica White

Founder and CEO of TLDM Technologies, a New York-based deep tech company working to reduce preventable foodborne illness. Jessica previously was an executive at Glossier Inc. and a management consultant at Bain & Company. She serves on the advisory board of Mount Sinai’s Department of Rehabilitation, and works on Long COVID research at Mount Sinai’s CoRE Clinic. Jessica holds a degree from the Wharton School of Business, where she focused on Food Marketing and Biotechnology.

Our Approach

Innovating neuroscience and NOT psychology. We study the brain itself, with a focus on neuroinflammation, blood vessel issues, cerebrospinal fluid flow, and potential structural problems.

Research on root cause drivers of chronic inflammatory disease. Getting to the “root cause” of illness leads to development of the most effective treatments.

Exploring new frontiers. We prioritize research that moves beyond just blood tests and towards the study of tissue, nerves, cerebrospinal fluid & autopsies.

Our Work

Press

PolyBio research, clinical trials, and the expertise of our collaborative network are often featured in the press. Read some of the top stories featuring PolyBio scientists here:

  • Opinion: Long COVID is solvable, but we need more clinical trials

    February 18, 2025
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  • Long-Covid Patients Are Frustrated That Federal Research Hasn’t Found New Treatments

    February 18, 2025
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  • Treatments For Long Covid Draw on Decades-Long HIV Research

    October 6, 2024
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  • Chronic virus found in long COVID gut up to 2 years post-infection

    October 6, 2024
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  • ‘Visionary’ study finds inflammation, evidence of Covid virus years after infection

    October 6, 2024
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Your investment in PolyBio Foundation’s Research supports far reaching scientific collaboration, patient-centred advances, and hope for millions worldwide. Can you imagine a better return?