UMC issued the following statement.
One
of the keys to treating COVID-19 could be in the blood on those who
have already recovered from the potentially deadly viral infection.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center is leading a clinical trial where hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 will receive plasma from people that have recovered.
Dr. Gailen Marshall, R. Faser Triplett Sr. M.D. Chair of Allergy and Immunology at UMMC, is leading the study.
During
an infection, the human body makes antibodies that work to neutralize
the effect of the invading bacteria or virus, he said. These antibodies
stay in the person’s blood plasma after they have beat the infection.
“The
majority of people infected with this novel coronavirus recover fully,
and these individuals will almost always possess a robust antibody
response,” he said. “Our trial seeks to learn if people with severe
COVID-19 could benefit from an infusion of these antibodies.”
UMMC
needs two kinds of research volunteers for this study: current
hospitalized COVID-19 patients and people who have recovered. For the
latter group, Marshall and his colleagues will screen volunteers with a
documented COVID-19 diagnosis – “people who received a nasal swab test
and tested positive for the virus,” he said.
To
screen potential plasma donors, a research nurse will draw a small
blood sample in order to measure COVID-19 specific antibodies and
determine if they are present at a high enough concentration. If a
volunteer meets all of the study participation requirements, they will
be asked to donate plasma at Mississippi Blood Services for the study.
Plasma can be banked for one year, Marshall said, which is good news
because there will likely be new COVID-19 infections in Mississippi for
several months.
UMMC’s trial is one of dozens
worldwide testing the safety and efficacy of plasma in treating
COVID-19. Physicians have used convalescent plasma and its antibodies
for more than a century to prevent and treat infectious diseases
including influenza, diphtheria and measles before vaccines were
available. This technique, which passes passive immunity to the patient,
can cause a positive immune response relatively quickly, Marshall said.
Marshall
notes that the current COVID-19 patients who receive the plasma will
also continue to receive the standard of care for the disease. This
includes hospitalization and, if needed, supplemental oxygen or
ventilation to manage severe disease. However, there are no Food and
Drug and Administration-approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19.
Clinical research is necessary to remedy this, Marshall said.
“We
know that COVID-19 is likely to return in some form or another,” he
said. “The purpose of clinical trials like this one is to help us
prepare so that we can have more knowledge, treat people more quickly,
prevent severe disease and decrease the number of deaths during a future
outbreak.”
For more information about this clinical trial, contact Lynn Oakes at (601) 496-7837 or loakes1@umc.edu. To learn more about other COVID-19-related clinical trials at UMMC, visit https://umc.edu/
6 comments:
Totally unclear from the announcement is whether there are neutralizing antibodies in the potential treatment. Will the university explain how they have determined whether there are neutralizing antibodies in the potential treatment arm?
Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but damn it seems like things are progressing a lot more slowly than they could. Use of plasma from recovered patients is not new, it was used during the 1918 pandemic. It was approved for use by the FDA for use in COVID-19 patients on March 26 and actually used at Houston Methodist Hospital in early April. I would have thought testing would have started sometime in mid-April and the benefits of the treatment would be known by now.
soooo.... now we are calling it "C-19" ??
One of our guys tested positive after becoming rather ill. Ended up in the hospital, not ICU or on vent, but underwent Plasma infusion. Stated that after about 2-3 days began feeling better. Not sure if that was natural progression or the Plasma. Doing well and has returned to work.
Lets call it what it is. "Chinese Virus" No more smoke and mirrors. We're being led astray. Don't comply.
Mt. Sinai plasma studies (pre-published to date) have shown a slight improvement in their first 40 patients with plasma. It is not a "game-changer." They were careful only use plasma that had a titer of equal to or greater than 1:320. How is UMC selecting its plasma? (" Plasma recipients were transfused with convalescent plasma from donors with a SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody titer (level) of greater than or equal to 1:320 dilution and all were transfused with two units of convalescent plasma matching the recipient’s blood type.")
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