T-cell therapy could be a better option for prevention or treatment of COVID-19

T cells from recovering COVID-19 patients can help reduce disease risk in immunocompromised patients or people with a weakened/impaired immune system, suggests a new study.

By: Longjam Dineshwori | | Updated: October 28, 2020 1:34 pm

Covid-19 leaves behind long detectable changes in the blood of patients, very similar to a fingerprint.

It has been almost a year now since the COVID-19 outbreak started in China’s Wuhan city. So far, the novel coronavirus has infected over 43 million people and caused more than one million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) data. There is still no cure for this deadly disease, but several treatments and vaccines are currently under trials. Out of these, plasma therapy has gained much attention as a potential treatment for COVID-19. But a study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently concluded that it does not help in reducing mortality or progression to a severe case of COVID-19. Following this finding, the Indian government is now considering deleting it from the national guidelines for COVID-19 treatment. Meanwhile, researchers from the US have proposed T-cell therapy as a safer and more effective option for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection. Also Read - Akshay Kumar, Piyush Mishra, Sonam Kapoor and more Bollywood celebs who opened up on facing sexual abuse in childhood

Researchers at the Children’s National Hospital, USA, believe that T-cells from recovering COVID-19 patients can help reduce disease risk in immunocompromised patients or people with a weakened/impaired immune system. These patients have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases. Also Read - Test Article 2 Covid 19 3rd wave

What are T-cells?

T-cells, also called T lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in fighting intracellular pathogens like viruses. Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 patients develop strong T-cell-based immunity, which stays for longer than antibodies in the bloodstream. Also Read - COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,757,610 while death toll reaches 1,54,392 12d

In plasma therapy, COVID-19 specific antibodies from the blood of recovered patients are transferred to high-risk patients to help kick-start the immune system to fight the infection or reduce the severity of the symptoms.

The US researchers said that T-cell immunotherapy can also be used to manage and prevent COVID-19, especially in immunocompromised patients. T-cells can help this high-risk group develop a strong immune response before they are exposed to the virus and prevent them from getting severe COVID-19, they stated.

T-cell therapy for COVID-19 prevention or treatment

This hypothesis is based on the evidence obtained from the phase 1 clinical trials conducted at the Children’s National Hospital on the effectiveness of T cells in targeting Epstein Barr virus (EBV), the causative agent of mononucleosis. [Also called mono or the kissing disease, mononucleosis is an infectious illness that causes a sore throat and fever. EBV is usually transmitted through kissing and sharing drinks or silverware.]

T-cell therapy has been found to be effective and safe against a variety of viruses.

In a new study, the scientists at the Children’s National Hospital collected COVID-19 specific T cells from the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients and then multiplied inside the lab. When tested on SARS-CoV-2, they found that these T cells cross-reacted with various variants of the novel coronavirus. This suggests that they are effective against multiple strains of the virus. The findings of their study are published in the peer-reviewed journal Blood.

COVID-19 vaccines may be unsafe for immunocompromised patients because their immune system may not be able to fight even a weaker version of the disease-causing agent. Thus, a vaccine may do more harm than good for such patients.

The new study suggested that T-cell therapy could be a viable option for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in such cases.

Note: If you’re immunocompromised, avoiding exposure to the virus is the best way to prevent COVID-19 infection.

Published : October 28, 2020 1:11 pm | Updated:October 28, 2020 1:34 pm

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