Researchers seek plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients

University of Chicago medical researchers are starting a clinical trial to determine if blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients can be used to treat current patients with severe symptoms.

Anyone interested in participating as a donor must have proof of a positive coronavirus test result, be symptom-free for more than 28 days and can request a screening by emailing researchers at plasma@uchospitals.edu. The donation process takes about 30 minutes, officials said. Visit the researchers' website is.gd/donateplasma to learn more as well.

The initial phase of the trial will focus on the feasibility and safety of the treatment, said Dr. Lucia Madariaga, thoracic and lung transplant surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at the university.

"This therapy is not new," Madariaga said. "At the turn of the century, it was used to prevent the spread of measles and other diseases since."

Madariaga also said Chinese doctors reported success in a small sample group of about 15 patients.

At this phase of the trial, doctors will use the treatment on 10 patients with severe or life-threatening symptoms. The University of Chicago Medical Center currently houses about 120 patients suffering from COVID-19, hospital officials said.

In theory, the treatment works by injecting a donor's infection-neutralizing antibodies into someone whose own immune system is struggling to fight the disease. Those antibodies will give extra resources to the infected person's immune system to battle the virus, hopefully creating more antibodies.

Dr. Patrick Wilson, an immunologist and professor of medicine and rheumatology at the university, said the initial phase needs only to prove the process can be done safely and methodically. Additional phases of the trial will study the results of the procedure.

"We feel confident that it's going to help protect the patient and improve their condition," Wilson said. "I think it's a good bet that this will be protective, but we need to learn how effective this is."

The trial will include experts and labs from multiple fields at the hospital and university, including the biological sciences division, blood bank, department of medicine, transplant institute and the department of surgery.

Madariaga said researchers began screening potential plasma donors late last week and hope to begin drawing blood later this week from the first batch of donors.