19
votes
Accepted
A cheap and easy inactivated vaccine for COVID-19
The only approved inhaled vaccine is the flu vaccine delivered intra-nasally. It uses a live attenuated virus. There are a whole list of people who should not receive it because it's a live virus, ...
- 13.2k
8
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of "co-formulated"?
From Chauhan, V. M., Zhang, H., Dalby, P. A., & Aylott, J. W. (2020). Advancements in the co-formulation of biologic therapeutics. Journal of Controlled Release, 327, 397-405.:
Co-formulation can ...
- 13.1k
6
votes
Do coronavirus antibodies give you any immunity?
You're asking some completely different questions here from sources talking about completely different aspects of antibody-mediated immunity.
The first statement, from WHO, is talking about people ...
- 13.1k
5
votes
Accepted
"AGE" meaning in the term AGE-associated autoantibodies?
Advanced Glycation End-products
These are basically proteins and lipids that are glycated in a high glucose environment, e.g. in untreated diabetic patients. Wikipedia has an article about the ...
- 304
4
votes
Accepted
Is there a way to test for covid 19 after recovery?
China has been using antibody testing to see if people had been exposed in their convalescent phase. The USA didn't want to do antibody testing and have wanted to recover virus using a PCR test, but ...
- 13.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Does the blood removed from the body still have immunity?
The usual approach is to use a whole animal such as horses
The results of our research indicate that healthy horses
immunized with the SARS-CoV F69 strain can be induced to
generate effective, ...
- 13.2k
4
votes
Why are antibodies not used as treatments for infectious diseases?
Where do you get the antibodies from?
You could theoretically use donor blood from infected patients, but apparently it is still unclear if the transmission of those antibodies is safe. Also, those ...
- 6,732
4
votes
Accepted
Can autoantibodies found in the father affect the embryo, and how?
I think you're right to be stumped.
The text you're referring to discusses Fig. 3C in the review; they note it's preliminary data but also seem to use strange/wrong descriptions, e.g. in the Fig 3 ...
- 991
4
votes
How much less effective are the antibodies produced against the Alpha-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein against the Delta-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein?
There is no general answer to this question -- it depends on the viruses involved, the antibodies in question and the specific immune system gene versions of an infectee.
Unlike with monoclonal ...
- 991
3
votes
Accepted
Antibodies and Immune system
First a disclaimer: I am not an immunologist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do work on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (the syndrome/disease).
The tests in general are measuring ...
- 2,786
3
votes
The relationship between the rate of decrease of antibody production and long term immunity
The primary immune response (when you first get exposed) is different from the secondary (from the memory cells). In the primary response, different antibodies are used (mostly IgM). The secondary ...
- 86
2
votes
A cheap and easy inactivated vaccine for COVID-19
It wouldn't be consistent. (as some of the commenters pointed out).
Here are some numbers:
The concentration of virus in sputum can vary by a factor of 10^5.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/...
- 193
2
votes
Why can't simple blood transfusions be used for treatment of COVID-19, instead of plasma transfusions?
The Red Cells can be used for other purposes like blood transfusions. It's not necessary for whole blood transfusions as far as we know.
Plasma is the part of blood that remains after the red cells, ...
- 13.2k
2
votes
Accepted
Are there any other reasons than mutation that could cause a virus to be able to infect the same person twice?
Topically, seasonal coronaviruses appear to be poorly immunogenic and reinfection occurs. Neutralising antibody levels drop to the point that they no longer provide protection.
In a 1971 study of ...
- 13.2k
2
votes
Accepted
If we could remove all auto-antibodies would the auto-immune disease get cured?
Yes, there actually is a correct answer to this: not every autoimmune disease is antibody driven. Take coeliac disease: antibodies are just an epiphenomenon of the immune process, which is actually ...
- 66
2
votes
Can this method of immunization for horses serve as a COVID-19 vaccine for humans?
This approach is not meant to yield a vaccine that will prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2. It is meant to be an antibody treatment for COVID-19.
BACKGROUND
Antibodies are infection-fighting proteins ...
- 975
1
vote
What is the meaning of "co-formulated"?
There is currently no evidence available on the effectiveness of concurrent use of monoclonal antibodies or antivirals for Covid-19, except when co-formulated.
As they have used or, I think they are ...
- 516
1
vote
How much less effective are the antibodies produced against the Alpha-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein against the Delta-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein?
In vitro research suggests that the multiple changes associated with the S- (Spike) protein and for that matter, the N- (nucleocapsid) protein attributed to omicron that has demonstrated some ability ...
- 115
1
vote
The placebo effect
The National Research Council has explained that:
“Precision Medicine refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient. It does not literally mean the ...
- 975
1
vote
Accepted
False Positive PCR - COVID-19 and possible reinfection when antibodies value is +7.0
The rt-PCR tests for Covid-19 are not 100% specific so yes it's possible to get a false positive.
From the China PCR test
The sensitivity of the RT-PCR diagnostic test was estimated to be 0.777 (...
- 13.2k
1
vote
Can the specificity of a COVID-19 antibody test be improved by testing twice?
The short answer is: No.
Your question is a good question, but I think, in this case, that you should focus on the nature of testing in general, rather than on the specifics of this test.
Sensitivity ...
- 11
1
vote
Accepted
What does it mean when someone has Coronavirus antibodies?
How do they detect whether someone has coronavirus antibodies?
You test the blood against antigens carried by the SARS-CoV-2. Antibodies in the blood will bind to these antigens.
The information ...
- 13.2k
1
vote
Ratio of PCR to antibodies positive Covid-19 tests in studies outside USA?
This calculator suggests that the antibody tests aren't too bad in that they're suggesting that the official figures are way too low.
https://gabgoh.github.io/COVID/index.html
The first death in ...
- 13.2k
1
vote
Accepted
Is the second vaccine dose necessary if seroconversion occurred after the first dose?
The only way to know the the level of conversion is through bloodwork to measure it and even that can be problematic. From the CD site:
Laboratory evidence of immunity or laboratory confirmation ...
- 482
1
vote
Accepted
If COVID-19 binds to GRP78 could a GRP78 dose inactivate the virus?
The current data suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can enter cells by at least 4 methods:
ACE2 receptor - Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 which is involved in protecting the lung (and other organs) from ...
- 13.2k
1
vote
Are false positives from Cellex’s Coronavirus antibody test systemic?
You can see all the tests being produced here http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/resources/COVID-19/Serology-based-tests-for-COVID-19.html
Many of the tests share similar sensitivities and ...
- 13.2k
1
vote
Allowing persons having sars-cov-2 antibodies to move freely
I would think that this is a reasonable possibility. We assume that they are largely immune but there is a possibility that this is not the case in 100% of recovered patients.
But some Wuhan ...
- 13.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible