Blood samples from participants who have recovered from COVID-19 infection will be obtained and studied. The goal of the research is to identify antibodies that have been generated by the patient to fight the COVID-19 infection. By identifying the most effective antibodies, scientists can make specific antibodies to use to prevent future coronavirus outbreaks or to treat patients with severe disease.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused over 1,273,712 infections and over 69,458 deaths worldwide. Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian (CUIMC/NYP) has assembled a team of committed virologists, molecular biologists, chemists, and technologists to address this emerging threat. Monoclonal antibodies have become great additions to our therapeutic arsenal, primarily in treating cancer or autoimmune diseases. Recently, the use of monoclonal antibodies in combating infections such as respiratory syncytial virus and HIV have also become clear. In recent years, advanced cell sorting and sequencing technologies have been utilized to identify neutralizing antibodies from human B cells. This protocol will outline our approach to obtaining blood specimens from participants who are recovering from COVID-19 infection. Potential participants will be referred by health care providers from within the CUIMC/NYP system and from outside institutions. If the potential participant agrees to be contacted, study staff will call them to review the informed consent, eligibility criteria and study procedures, and set up a study visit for blood draw. Monoclonal antibodies that could potently neutralize 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and related coronaviruses will be isolated from these specimens. Candidate monoclonal antibodies will then be optimized and evaluated for therapeutic potential. The ultimate goal would be able to produce a monoclonal antibody that could confer protection during an outbreak or be utilized to treat patients with severe COVID disease.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
15
Participants will have approximately 45 ml of whole blood drawn (3 Tablespoons) drawn at the study visit.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NYP
New York, New York, United States
Number of antibodies against coronaviruses isolated and identified from patient samples
The blood specimen will be proceeded into peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma to be stored for testing. In brief, CD27+ memory B cells that can bind to a SARS-CoV-2 S protein bait will be sorted by flow cytometry and RNA will be extracted to obtain heavy and light chain sequences. Antibody sequences will be annotated using bioinformatics approaches, and candidate sequences will be cloned. Purified antibodies will be characterized and neutralization breadth and potency against SARS-CoV-2 and other related coronaviruses will be assessed using neutralization assays.
Time frame: Up to 12 months after collection visit
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