XBiotech Inc. and BioBridge Global announced their collaboration to participate in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational program for U.S. blood centers to begin collecting and distributing convalescent plasma from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
In working toward a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients, XBiotech has developed a clinical test that QualTex Laboratories, a subsidiary of San Antonio-based nonprofit BioBridge Global, will use to identify natural antibodies present in human blood that work against the virus that causes COVID-19. The testing technology will allow QualTex to identify blood that contains naturally neutralizing antibodies against the virus in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 (convalescent donors).
Plasma collected from these donors by the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), which also is a subsidiary of BioBridge Global, could be used to treat patients with serious and/or life-threatening COVID-19 infections. STBTC will, in return, provide blood samples to XBiotech to enable the development of a candidate True Human™ antibody therapy for the disease.
XBiotech is in the process of transferring the testing technology to QualTex and training its laboratory professionals to perform the assay in its San Antonio laboratory to enable rapid identification and potential use of the convalescent plasma at medical centers in Texas.
“XBiotech is working to contribute solutions to reducing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Sushma Shivaswamy, Ph.D, XBiotech’s Chief Scientific Officer. “Our unique human antibody technology at XBiotech has been developed specifically to address these kinds of issues.
“We are humbled to be able to support BioBridge Global in its effort to use human convalescent donor blood to provide remedies for patients hospitalized with this deadly disease. XBiotech will continue to use its technology and resources to support the effort against COVID-19.”
Dr. Rachel Beddard, BioBridge Global Medical Director, also commented, “We are excited to be among the first to be able to provide our blood donors with the opportunity to help COVID-19 patients and their families fight this illness.”