Johns Hopkins Researchers Hope Plasma Of COVID-19 Survivors Could Help Others
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore has become a worldwide hub for medical research that could stop or even prevent the coronavirus, and universities are at the forefront of that research.
Fighting then beating the coronavirus could mean survivors are able to help someone else do the same.
Frontline worker Vivian Mancias recovered from the virus, and researchers are becoming increasingly dependent on people like her to donate antibody rich plasma.
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"By donating my plasma, I'm hoping that it will help improve someone who has a worse case of this virus," Mancias said.
Johns Hopkins University is now conducting a study with hundreds of people.
They'll take plasma from survivors, then give it to health care workers on the frontlines, people at high risk for contracting COVID-19 or others with mild cases.
They will then watch to see if the plasma either prevents the virus from infecting the body, or stops a mild case from getting worse.
Doctor Arturo Casadevall is leading the nationwide study from Johns Hopkins.
"If these trials are successful in indicating a usefulness for plasma, this is going to be very powerful information," Casadevall said.
More than a million people have recovered from the virus around the globe. Some high profile names like Tom Hanks have donated their blood for research.
Doctor Casadevall admits the data on the effectiveness of antibodies in plasma is new and inconclusive, but he's hopeful.
"No, we don't have the data that we want, but there is a lot of suggestion that this therapy may
be helpful," Casadevall said.
Doctor Casadevall added he thinks there will be an indication on if this is working within a few weeks.
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