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Scientists are looking for effective ways to stop the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic that causes COVID-19 disease. They are working on a vaccine and effective treatment. The John Hopkins Institute researchers are wondering whether antibodies contained in the blood serum of people who have beaten COVID-2 can be used to protect against SARS-CoV-19. Contrary to appearances, this is not a new solution.
Antibodies in the blood of people who have beaten COVID-19
Although the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has spread practically all over the world, at the moment there are no vaccines, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or drugs that can effectively stop the disease. Many of them are under rapid development and some may be available soon. Scientists from the Hopkins Institute are considering the use of the so-called passive antibody therapy, which began in the late XNUMXth century and was widely used in the XNUMXth century to help contain measles, polio and influenza. It was also used on a small scale during the SARS epidemic.
The team at Hopkins University says this therapy could be a key and practical tool in the fight against COVID-19. Antibody therapy does not require complex research and can be implemented in a matter of weeks as it is based on standard blood banking practices, emphasizes immunologist Arturo Casadevall.
What would passive antibody therapy be like?
Passive antibody therapy for people at risk of COVID-19
From the study «The convalescent sera option for containing COVID-19» published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, we learn how the blood of people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and have had COVID-19 can help immunity of people who have not yet been sick.
Passive antibody therapy involves administering antibodies against a given agent to a susceptible person in order to prevent or treat an infectious disease caused by that agent. Passive administration of antibodies is the only way to ensure immediate immunity to susceptible individuals. As we read in the study, experience from previous coronavirus outbreaks, such as SARS, shows that the blood serum of people who have recovered contain antibodies to the virus.
The most important information about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus:
- How does the coronavirus attack the body? The scientists answer
- SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus – a glossary of terms worth knowing
- Coronavirus COVID-19 – the most important questions and answers
What is the scheme of using the so-called convalescence serum for COVID-19? After examining people who have undergone COVID-19, those who have high titers of coronavirus neutralizing antibodies are identified. These antibodies can be administered prophylactically to prevent infection in people who are at high risk of infection, including doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who come into contact with sick people.
Immediately after recovery and during the recovery period, patients’ blood contains a large number of natural antibodies that have been produced against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. For treatment to be effective, blood must be drawn from the patient after recovery from COVID-19 and while recovering.
The general principle of passive antibody therapy is that it is more effective when used in prophylaxis than in treating disease. In the case of treatment, administration of antibodies gives the best effect shortly after the onset of symptoms.
Researchers believe that passive administration of antibodies is the only way to provide immediate immunity to susceptible individuals, and depending on the amount and composition of the antibodies, the protection provided by therapy can last from several weeks to even several months.
This is a fallback solution that can be used until the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccine is developed. Now scientists are working on implementing the procedure. John Hopkins University is funding efforts to initiate anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapy in the Baltimore area. Doctors from New York and a Japanese pharmaceutical company are also working on the therapy, which is looking for a way to develop a drug based on antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.