Lang
4/15/20
University of Iowa Health Care researchers have started a new clinical trial to determine if plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients can help treat patients currently hospitalized with the disease.
The key to the “convalescent plasma” approach is the antibodies produced in people when they fight off COVID-19. The so-called neutralizing antibodies can be collected in plasma donations from the recovered patients and transfused into hospitalized patients with the goal of helping those patients fight the disease more effectively.
The study has started taking plasma donations and, so far, 11 recovered patients have donated plasma and five patients have received the plasma transfusions as part of their care for COVID-19.
The donors are people who have recovered from a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 and who have been symptom-free for two weeks and have tested negative for the virus. People who have been asymptomatic for 28 days would also be eligible without needing a negative test. In addition, the donors go through the same screening process that is used for all donors of blood, platelets, or plasma.
Once enrolled, participants donate their plasma at the DeGowin Blood Center at UI Hospitals & Clinics. The process involves a plasmapheresis machine that takes blood from the donor, separates the plasma…which contains the antibodies…and returns the red blood cells back into the donor. The donation process takes about 90 minutes. Individuals interested in more information about donation should contact PathologyCP@healthcare.uiowa.edu, or call 1-319-678-7922.