Blood plasma from coronavirus survivors can be used to fight infection

Patients, carers, and NHS staff can receive experimental antibody treatment.


Covid-19 patients' blood recovered contains antibodies that we hope will help others overcome the disease. Photograph: Burger / Phanie / Rex / Shutterstock

Doctors have developed a plan to infuse blood plasma with an infected coronavirus infection and their carers from British “hyperimmune” patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in an attempt to save lives.

The experimental treatment will be aimed at patients who are admitted to the hospital with pneumonia caused by the virus, in the hope that it will reduce the number of those who need mechanical ventilation devices in intensive care units (ICUs) for treatment.

Those in close contact with patients infected with COVID-19 virus, such as the National Health Service of England and their families, can also receive treatment to stop the spread of the disease and further reduce the burden of medical care.

Confirmed cases in the UK



The procedure is based on the fact that people who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus have antibodies in their blood plasma that protect them from reinfection. The goal is to identify those who are “hyperimmune” to the virus and invite them to donate blood for treatment.

The so-called “recovering plasma” will be provided to patients and individuals who have been in contact with them during clinical trials that are being reviewed by medical funding agencies.

Professor David Tappin, a senior fellow at the University of Glasgow, contacted the National Institute for Health Research to conduct two clinical trials using a recovering plasma.

“The launch of these tests needs to be started faster than usual, while most other tests usually take months or years to get approval to get started,” he said.

The tests will be to find evidence that recovering plasma can reduce the number of infections in carers so that they can continue their work, prevent patients from deteriorating to the point that they do not need lung ventilation in ICUs, and improve the condition of those who are already seriously ill to reduce mortality and free up much-needed fans, he said.

“It is necessary to conduct tests, otherwise we will not know whether this intervention is effective and appropriate,” Tappin said. "It may not be a panacea, or perhaps it will help stop the development of COVID-19 infection in relation to health workers and their families, but it may not be so effective in treating patients with severe illnesses that must be ventilated."

Professor Robert Lehler, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Executive Director of King's Health Partners, which includes King's College London and three major London hospitals, said the group intends to conduct parallel tests of recovering plasma.

NHS Blood and Transplant has already begun work to identify potential donors, a spokeswoman said.

“Plasma from patients who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus will contain antibodies that their immune system has produced in the fight against the virus. This plasma can be transfused to patients in a very poor condition, whose own immune system is struggling to produce their own antibodies. Therefore, a plasma transfusion is intended to provide the patient with antibodies from the recovered patient, to help his body fight the COVID-19 virus. ”

Blood materials will be checked to ensure they are safe for transfusion.
The actions of the United Kingdom were supported by massive collaboration in the United States, in which 100 laboratories joined forces to produce recovering plasma for patients admitted to hospitals across the country. After receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration, doctors in the United States will be able to give plasma to patients under charity-testing rules for use.

Professor Arturo Casadeval, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who is involved in US development, said antibody infusions can be more effective if they are introduced at an early stage to kill the virus before it inflicts a serious infection. damage. Potentially, he said, infusion of a recovering plasma can protect people from the virus for several weeks.

On Friday, Chinese researchers reported that recovering plasma appears to help patients infected with the COVID-19 virus with lung ventilation, but only five patients participated in the study .

Casadeval shared the experiences of the United States with prof. Tappin and prof. Lehler to help them develop a similar procedure in the UK. “I said that the best thing you can do is try to create a network in the UK, because ultimately it all needs to be done locally,” he said.

“If you pay attention to the story, you will understand that there are good chances for this to work. But this is a new virus, and with the new virus you won’t know whether it will be effective until you try. The Chinese use it and report good results, but this needs to be verified. This is not a panacea or a miracle cure; this is something we can try to do to see if we can help stop the epidemic, ”he said. “I think you will need it in the UK.”