598 publications
Singapore’s first clinical trial of Covid-19-specific T cells is ready to recruit its first patients.
Conducted through a study team at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), this human trial of a possible coronavirus remedy was approved by the Health Sciences Authority in July.
The trial is aimed at patients with severe Covid-19 disease, as well as those at risk of developing a serious illness. There are five hospitals where patients can get this remedy with T cells.
Patients who expanded severe Covid-19 disease had low T-mobile levels, which are a type of white-blooded cell phone that helps the picture fight infections.
Only patients who recovered from coronavirus had Covid-19 T cells.
Called Covid-19 reminiscent T cells, they are able to multiply in reaction to reinfections through Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Immune reaction reinfection will be faster and more powerful.
For this study, Covid-19 T cells of donated blood were collected through six patients with recovered Covid-19.
Approximately 350 ml to 450 ml of blood extracted from the first batch of donors in April.
T-phones extracted from this blood, enough to treat patients, are lately stored in a mobile bank.
Patients with severe Covid-19 will be treated with T cells intravenously, while infected patients at risk of developing a serious illness, such as those over 65 years of age or other obese people, will receive preventive treatment.
The two main objectives of the trial are to make T cells safe to use and that this remedy approach is effective. For example, to measure the effectiveness of this trial, the clinical reaction in terms of the time required to recover from a Covid-19 infection would be measured.
Patients will also be monitored for six months to a year to see side effects and make sure it is safe.
Gaining immunity against the Sars-Cov-2 virus is something scientists around the world should do.
Immunity comes in two forms, said Professor Leung Wing Hang, senior representative of the haematological oncology branch of KKH. Active immunity can be received through an herbal infection or vaccine.
On the other hand, passive immunity, where the immunity of a recovered patient is transferred to a patient who has just been patient, can be achieved with B cells and T cells, any of which are white blood cells.
“Now, the challenge with Sars-CoV-2 is that it lives in internal inflamed cells, making it difficult to ingestion of the virus through phagocytes because the phagocytes are outside the inflamed cells. In the absence of T-cell response, phagocytes proliferate as they seek to get rid of the virus,” said Professor Leung, who also leads the study.
“This ends up causing more than good: too many phagocytes lead to hyperinflamation of tissues, which we see in patients with Covid-19. “
In contrast, the presence of T cells will not only produce B cells, but can also directly kill cells inflamed with the virus, cutting off inflammation caused by phagocytes.
In the proven remedy, the donor and recipient will first want to match through tissue typing before injecting the express Covid-19 T cells.
Dr. Michaela Seng, representative of the haematological oncology branch of KKH and co-author of this study, said: “We found that regardless of race and ethnicity, patients here will have more than 90% coincidence in at least one of the 40 sets of those expressing Covid-19 T cells in the bank. “
Researchers expect a single dose to be enough for the patient to recover.
Since T-cell production takes only one day, the source of those cells may be higher if needed.
Protein fragments of the Covid-19 virus are combined with donor cells. Only Covid-19-specific T cells will bind to the proteins in the fragment, allowing them to be harvested.
Plans to internationalize the trial are also underway, Professor Leung said. KKH workers in Europe are in the process of obtaining regulatory approval.
“It is to be expected that trials in Europe can be opened at a similar time, which will allow this examination to a Singapore-led multinational examination at KKH,” Professor Leung said.
At the local level, the Republic has five hospitals where patients can obtain this T-cell-based remedy. Patients must give their consent before receiving the remedy.
These come with KKH, which is the main site, Singapore General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, Changi General Hospital and National University Hospital.
KKH said the test is the first in the world, while other foreign teams were looking for non-specific T cells from the Covid-19 virus.
ONLINE ADVERTISING
Contact: Sirintip Yutika Mobile 80818 8187
Email: [email protected]