In this method, Immunoglobulin is prepared after separation of antibodies found in the blood of a recovered patient from the corona.This way of treatment is a safe, low risk and highly effective against Corona virus. This method is considerably different from plasma therapy and it should be noted that the treatment by hyper immunoglobulin (H-IVIG) is approved by the US Federal agency, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for normal conditions. Plasma therapy, on the other hand, is only allowed in emergencies due to its side effects.
The Dow University research team led by Dr.Shaukat Ali has developed this H-IVIG after days of continuous hard work, given the crisis situation. The team was able to collect first blood sample in March 2020 and managed to isolate antibodies chemically, purified it and later concentrated these antibodies using the ultra-filtration techniques that remove the remaining unwanted materials from the final product. This is the first global report of isolation, formulation and safety demonstration of immunoglobulin purified from recovered COVID19 patient and can be a ray of hope in this time of crisis.
The method is also a type of passive immunization but uses purified antibodies rather than the whole plasma. The team used blood donated by recovered COVID19 patients to purify antibodies, capable to neutralize corona virus. Laboratory testing and safety trial of the formulated product (experimental vials) in animals have been successful. The Vice chancellor Professor Saeed Quraishy has assigned task to clinicians at Dow hospital to team up with researchers to devise a strategy for fulfilling ethical and regulatory requirements for trials.
The lead researcher Dr. Shaukat Ali is principal of Dow College of Biotechnology and other team members included Dr. Shobha Luxmi, Syed Muneeb uddin, Mir Rashid Ali, Ayesha Ali, Mujtaba Khan, Fatima Anjum, Dr. Sohaib Tauheed. The team appreciated the guidance and extraordinary support from the Vice Chancellor and said they are determined to carry their achievements forward.
This is a major step towards international efforts for controlling COVID-19 disease mortality. Already six world renowned multinational companies have joined hand to proceed in the similar direction to produce IVIG from recovered patients; in this regard Dow University has taken lead in developing the first local IVIG against the strain causing COVID-19 disease in Pakistan. It has already been shown earlier that COVID-19 strain prevalent in Pakistan has a few mutations, hence it is expected that the local IVIG against local virus strain will be very useful and efficacious.
