Hundreds of NHS coronavirus patients are to be treated with the blood plasma of virus survivors as part of trial into the promising therapy at St Thomas' hospital
- Hope is antibodies in recovered patients can boost immune system in sufferers
- Currently enough plasma to treat 143 people and transfusions to begin 'in weeks'
- If effective, therapy would be scaled-up nationally to treat 5,000 patients a week
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Hundreds of NHS coronavirus patients will be given the blood of virus survivors as part of a new treatment being trialled at London's Guy's and St Thomas' hospital.
The hope from the trial, which has now started, is that antibodies in recovered patients' blood can bolster the struggling immune system of infected people.
The treatment - used for around a century for other infections - works using the liquid part of the blood, known as convalescent plasma.
This antibody-rich plasma is injected into critically unwell COVID-19 patients who are struggling to produce their own antibodies, with hopes it can help clear the virus.
Last week, NHS Blood and Transplant began collecting blood from survivors - including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who fell ill with the virus in March.
There is currently enough plasma to treat 143 patients and transfusions will begin in weeks, according to hospital bosses.
If effective, the treatment would be scaled-up nationally to provide up to 10,000 units per week, enough for 5,000 patients.
Hundreds of NHS coronavirus patients will be given the blood of virus survivors as part of a new treatment being trialled at London's Guy's and St Thomas' hospital. Health Secretary Matt Hancock posted the image on Twitter as he donated last Saturday
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) photos show former patients making the donation in a process known as plasmapheresis. Pictured: Laura Martin at Tooting Blood Donor Centre, south west London on Monday
Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London said it has enough plasma donations to treat 143 patients - but if the trial is effective this will be scaled up nationally
More than 6,500 people have registered their interest to take part in the trial in London.
Donating takes around 45 minutes and medics filter the blood through a machine to remove the plasma, in a process known as plasmapheresis.
Donors must have tested positive for the illness either at home or in hospital, but should now be three to four weeks into their recovery, ideally 29 days.
The promising therapy, which was first used a century ago in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, has been used already in China and the US.
When someone contracts coronavirus, their immune system produces antibodies which attack the virus.
The antibodies build up over a month and are stored in the plasma, ready to be released if the virus enters their body again.
There is no cure for the killer coronavirus and thousands of patients worldwide are involved in trials of promising medicines.
A key advantage to the blood based therapy is that it’s available immediately and relies only drawing blood from a former patient.
It is also significantly cheaper than developing a new drug, which costs millions to take through trials and regulation before mass production.
Infusing patients with blood plasma has also been used to tackle SARS and MERS, two similar coronaviruses, as well as the deadly infection Ebola.
Plasma makes up around 55 per cent of all blood volume and provides the liquid for red and white blood cells to be carried around the body in.
By injecting this into patients it can provide their bodies with a vital dose of crucial substances called antibodies.
Antibodies can only be created by people who have already been infected and learnt how to fight off an infection, such as SARS-CoV-2.
It may be the best hope for COVID-19 patients while scientists work to develop new, specific treatments for the disease.
The first donations of the plasma in the UK have been collected and transfusions will begin in 'the coming weeks', Guy's and St Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre said.
The treatment - used for around a century for other infections - works using the liquid part of the blood, known as convalescent plasma. The yellowy liquid is removed from former patients' blood. Pictured, Dr Zhou Min shows his plasma after donating in Wuhan, China
The process uses a machine similar to those used in regular blood platelet donation to collect the sample. Pictured: Rebecca Mascarenhas donating her plasma in Tooting last week
Left: Recovered coronavirus patient Douglas James making his donation in Tooting. Right: Plasma that has been extracted
The hospital says if the trials prove the treatment to be effective, NHS Blood and Transplant will begin a national programme to deliver up to 10,000 units of convalescent plasma per week to the NHS, enough to treat 5,000 patients each week.
The trial is co-led by Dr Manu Shankar-Hari, a consultant in intensive care medicine at the hospital, along with experts from NHS Blood and Transplant and the University of Cambridge.
Dr Shankar-Hari said: 'As a new disease, there are no proven drugs to treat critically ill patients with COVID-19. Providing critically ill patients with plasma from patients who have recovered… could improve their chances of recovery.'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'This global pandemic is the biggest public health emergency this generation has faced and we are doing absolutely everything we can to beat it.
'The UK has world-leading life sciences and research sectors and I have every hope this treatment will be a major milestone in our fight against this disease.
'Hundreds of people are participating in national trials already for potential treatments and the scaling up of convalescent plasma collection means thousands could potentially benefit from it in the future.'
Previous research has suggested that antibodies drawn from the blood of COVID-19 survivors improves the symptoms of patients severely ill with the disease.
Scientists in China who carried out the preliminary study said no serious adverse reactions were observed after convalescent plasma transfusion.
Ten patients received a 200ml dose of plasma, and researchers said all clinical symptoms, which also included fever and cough, subsided within three days.
Most watched News videos
- Terrifying moment driver overtakes van and narrowly avoids crash
- Russian plane spiralling out of control crashes in sea in Crimea
- Camilla hands out gifts at Royal Maundy ceremony on behalf of King
- Queen Camilla greets children after traditional Maundy service
- Starmer and Rayner embrace as they launch election campaign
- Three men seen running out of Beckenham station after knife attack
- British man fighting for Putin posts video from Russia online
- 'Satan took over me': Hamas terrorist confesses of raping woman
- Tourist is filmed napping in his tent on the beach with a crocodile
- Hilarious moment King's Guard shout 'make way' at pigeons in London
- Police carry slingshots to defend themselves against crazed monkeys
- Police tape off Kennington station after 'multiple stabbings'