COVID-19: benefits and risks of passive immunotherapeutics

Abstract

Passive immunotherapeutics (PITs), including convalescent plasma, serum, or hyperimmune immunoglobulin, have been of clinical importance during sudden outbreaks since the early twentieth century for the treatment of viral diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) and swine flu (H1N1). With the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, wherein effective antivirals and vaccines are still lacking, an interest in convalescent plasma therapy as a lifesaving option has resurfaced due to its capacity for antigenic neutralization and reducing viremia. This review summarizes convalescent blood products (CBPs) in terms of current technologies and the shortcomings related to the collection, manufacture, pathogen inactivation, and banking of CBPs, with a specific focus on their plausible applications, benefits, and risks in the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 in the elderly people and advances in vaccination approaches

“…Various other immune potentiating and immunotherapeutic approaches such as convalescent plasma therapy, 47,[62][63][64] antibodies (neutralizing antibodies, monoclonal antibodies), intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg); 47,[65][66][67] T cells and Natural killer (NK) cells based immunotherapies, [68][69][70][71] Tolllike receptors (TLRs), 72,73 cytokine therapies, 74 and various immunomodulatory drugs, [75][76][77] have all revealed promising results to safeguard health of COVID-19 patients.…”

Chasing COVID-19 through SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein

“…The use of some other molecule which targets this binding site can prohibit the entry of virus in the host cell [44,46]. We have also shown the use of convalescent plasma therapy in order to prevent the infection [47].…”

Immunotherapies and immunomodulatory approaches in clinical trials - a mini review

“…They can regulate cellular or humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2, prevent inflammatory cascade by modulating cytokine storm when most of the mechanisms are yet to be explored. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] These novel immunotherapeutic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 have prospects in therapy of COVID-19 hence require a brief description about current scenario, applications, limitations, and future possibilities.…”

“…7 Immunoglobulin therapy, convalescent plasma therapy, 8,9 antibodies, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 10 natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies, 11 T cellbased therapies, 12 Toll-like receptors (TLRs), 13,14 cytokine therapies 15,16 and immune modulators are some of the immunotherapeutic options available and few of them are being explored for treatment of COVID-19. [17][18][19][20][21] The only specific treatment option available for the disease currently is believed to be the use of convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. 22,23 This plasma is readily available currently because many patients have recovered from COVID-19, and thus, can donate their plasma.…”