For Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, this is a critical time for long COVID research in the United States. Even as funding cuts imperil progress, there is a hope that potential new treatments, as well as a better understanding of the causes of the condition, can help researchers like himself make real progress in uncovering effective treatments for patients. In a recent interview, Al-Aly explains how the research he and others are conducting could affect patients in the near future.