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Review
. 2021 Apr 18;11(4):354.
doi: 10.3390/life11040354.

The Three Pillars of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Therapy

Massimo Franchini  1 , Giancarlo Maria Liumbruno  1 , Giorgio Piacentini  2 , Claudia Glingani  1 , Marco Zaffanello  2
Affiliations
Review

The Three Pillars of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Therapy

Massimo Franchini et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has spread rapidly around the world in the last year causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which still is a severe threat for public health. The therapeutic management of COVID-19 is challenging as, up until now, no specific and efficient pharmacological therapy has been validated. Translating the experience from previous viral epidemics, passive immunotherapy by means of plasma from individuals recovered from COVID-19 has been intensively investigated since the beginning of the pandemic. In this narrative review, we critically analyze the three factors, named "pillars", that play a key role in determining the clinical effectiveness of this biologic therapy: the convalescent plasma, the disease (COVID-19), and the patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; convalescent plasma; hyperimmune plasma; therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The three pillars of anti-COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanisms of action of anti-COVID-19 convalescent plasma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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