Safety and efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

Severely immunocompromised patients, such as organ transplant recipients and patients with hematological malignancies, are at increased risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related morbidity and mortality. Plasma from COVID-19 infected individuals that contains antibodies that neutralize the virus can be used to treat those patients. However, our results from clinical and animal studies in which plasma was administered showed that the amount of neutralizing antibodies in the donor plasma and the time of administration are critical parameters for treatment effectiveness. In addition, resistance often occurred when monoclonal antibodies were used. Alternatively, we tested plasma obtained from individuals who received multiple COVID-19 vaccinations. Using in vitro assays, we were able to select those individuals with high levels of broadly reactive neutralizing antibodies against different SARSCoV-2 variants for plasma apheresis. These plasma preparations are now being tested in clinical trials to treat hospitalized severely immunocompromised patients. More information about research into corona and COVID-19 at www.zonmw.nl/coronaonderzoek