Detecting SARS-COV-2 antibodies in serum and plasma samples
Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD
Convalescent plasma therapy is a possible treatment under investigation where antibodies from recovered patients are transfused to current COVID-19 patients with the intent to help them fight the infection and buy time until their immune system can produce antibodies. Yet, not all recovered patients have the same quantity of antibody titers suitable for such transfusions. In some patients it will minimize the severity of the disease length.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized convalescent plasma therapy for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 and it permitted to be used during the pandemic because there is no approved treatment for COVID-19. The donated blood is processed to remove cells, leaving behind liquid and antibody.
Companies like Forte Bío are developing instruments such as Octet HTX Instrument, Octet RED384 Octet RED96e Instrument and Octet K2 Instrument to detect SARS-COV-2 antibodies in serum and plasma samples. The Octet technology allows quantification with high resolution comparable to an HPLC . The instrument utilizes BLI enabling label-free detection for protein quantitation and kinetic characterization at unmatched speed and throughput. The instrument can measure up to 96 samples simultaneously allowing both unlimited characterization capacity for various applications and custom assay tailoring to maximize analytical throughput or sensitivity and preventing bottlenecks.
How are antibodies tested ?
- Immobilize a virus protein such as the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS CoV-2 spike protein.
- Dip the coronavirus biosensor into diluted patient plasma or serum samples.
- Block the biosensor with non-relevant serum or blocking buffer if needed to prevent non-specific binding.
Even the researchers believe that the risk to donors is low, there are additional risks such as allergic reactions, lung damage, difficulty breathing or infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and Donated blood must be tested for safety prior to administering to patients.
What to expect ? It is up to the doctor treating the patient, if convalescent plasma therapy is an option. Even though data from clinical trials suggest that convalescent plasma may diminish the severity or duration of the COVID19, more research is needed to determine if convalescent plasma therapy is an effective treatment.
SOURCE
https://www.fortebio.com/covid19research19research
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.17.20156281v1
Other related articles were published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal including the following:
https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2020/05/18/race-to-develop-antibody-drugs-for-covid-19
https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2020/05/18/race-to-develop-antibody-drugs-for-covid-19
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