To identify an effective treatment for COVID-19, scientists at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) are testing blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. The randomized clinical trial is part of an international effort to find a cure for COVID-19.

“There is growing evidence that blood may hold important answers to helping patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms survive the virus,” says Dr. Nadine Shehata, one of the Sinai Health scientists involved in the research.

When a person gets infected with a virus, their immune system creates antibodies to fight the virus. The clinical trial is exploring whether transfusing “convalescent plasma” from recovered patients will enable the recipient's body to use the antibodies in the plasma to fight off COVID-19.

“It takes time for the antibodies against COVID-19 to build up to full strength, and some patients get very sick and don’t have that time,” says Dr. Shehata.

“We believe that transfusing the convalescent plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 into the bodies of sick patients could accelerate their immune response to the virus.”

Convalescent plasma is known to be safe. Sinai Health’s Concor trial, launched just a few months after the start of the pandemic, will help researchers determine if it’s also effective against COVID-19.

So far, the preliminary data suggests that it may be.

Patients who qualify for the trial are those who have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 that is severe enough that they require oxygen. Some enrolled participants are randomly selected to receive convalescent plasma, while others will receive the standard care provided to patients with COVID-19.

“Our donors are the reason that researchers can undertake these groundbreaking studies, and hopefully save lives,” says Dr. Shehata.

Convalescent plasma is just one of the many exciting COVID-19 treatment possibilities being explored at Sinai Health. Donors who support this research will see their gifts matched for a limited time, thanks to a special donation from Larry and Judy Tanenbaum to double donors' gifts.

Our researchers need your help to accelerate their research to find a cure for COVID-19. Learn how you can help save more lives today.