Belgian Red Cross-Flanders Develops nasal spray with plasma against spread of viruses

A new study from Belgian Red Cross-Flanders was published in the scientific journal eBioMedicine.

This is a study in which plasma-based nasal drops were used to prevent an airborne viral infection. In this study, the tests were done with - what would you expect - coronavirus. Specifically, so-called "convalescent plasma" was administered. This is plasma from a donor who has recently been infected. His plasma contains antibodies against the virus in question, which give the nasal drops their protective effect. " This technique is a fast and efficient way to arm ourselves against the next pandemic," says Hendrik Feys, Principal Investigator at the Transfusion Research Center at Belgian Red Cross-Flanders. "As soon as the first infected patients are cured, you can start using their convalescent plasma. The plasma is already proving very effective in tests on hamsters. The researchers are now taking the necessary steps to start tests on humans, in the form of a nasal spray.

At first glance, it may be a bit of an odd picture: a researcher dripping some plasma into a hamster's nose with a small pipette, only to put another hamster with COVID-19 next to it. But exactly that research is now leading to promising results. Because it turns out: that first hamster is very well protected from infection thanks to the so-called "convalescent plasma" in its nose.

"When a person goes through an infection, that person develops antibodies. And those antibodies are found in the liquid component of our blood: the plasma. So convalescent plasma is the blood plasma from a donor who has recently had an infection of a well-defined virus. This research was specifically about COVID-19 convalescent plasma, which now shows that it offers very good protection against infection with the virus when you administer the plasma to an uninfected individual." Hendrik Feys, Principal Investigator Transfusion Research Center.

Research on the protective effect of convalescent plasma is not new. Scientists have been trying to use it to arm us against all kinds of viruses for decades. But they almost always looked at transfusion with plasma, that is, direct administration into the bloodstream, in patients who were already sick. 

"The results of all those studies - as recently with the transfusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma - were very mixed. We made the following observation: wouldn't it work better to administer this plasma preventively, at the place where the virus tries to enter our bodies? So for viruses that spread largely through the air, such as coronavirus, that's in the nose. That now appears to be a good strategy, because the results of our tests with the nasal drops in hamsters are enormously promising." Hendrik Feys, Principal Investigator Transfusion Research Center (Belgian Red Cross-Flanders). This is research that Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is conducting in collaboration with the Rega Institute of the KULeuven and the Flemish Agency for Innovation & Enterprise (VLAIO).

Protection against the next pandemic

Belgian Red Cross-Flanders is already taking the necessary steps to soon also be able to test on humans, with a nasal spray based on the convalescent plasma. If that research can produce the same good results, this new technique will be a very strong weapon against the next pandemic, according to the researchers. 

"Of course, let's hope that we will be spared another pandemic for a while yet. But if it does happen, this nasal spray could be a very strong weapon to protect us. Don't get me wrong: You may not see this as an alternative to a vaccine. But developing a vaccine for a new virus takes a long time. Whereas with this convalescent plasma, we can move much faster, to cover that development time. Because as soon as the first infected patients are cured, you can already start using their plasma. That way we can slow down the rapid spread of the new virus right from the first phase." Hendrik Feys, Principal Investigator Transfusion Research Center.

The use of a nasal spray with convalescent plasma, by the way, could be rolled out all over the world in an accessible way. After all, blood - and thus plasma - is collected all over the world.

Hendrik Feys was also heard on Radio 1.
Re-listen to the excerpt here.