Microsoft is working with a consortium of pharmaceutical companies to recruit people who have recovered from Covid-19 to donate their plasma, which could be used in treatments for the disease.
To help get the word out, the company is launching a chatbot, which it refers to as its “plasmabot,” to lead people through a series of questions to determine if they’re a candidate to donate plasma. The plasmabot, which goes live this weekend, will also provide information about the procedure and direct them to a nearby site where they can safely make the donation.
Using convalescent plasma — a component of blood — as a treatment is a decades-old idea. When a patient recovers from a disease, they produce antibodies to fight the presence of the antigen that caused the disease — like a virus — and those proteins will remain in the blood for a few months.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any treatments using convalescent plasma, but is currently regulating it as an investigational product. In a blog post, Microsoft says there are two possible approaches with collected plasma: Make transfusions directly available to those who are battling the virus, or incorporate the antibodies to help develop a medicine.
Microsoft’s head of research Peter Lee noted that the goal is to recruit as much plasma as soon as possible, as experts predict that we’ve either hit or are close to hitting the peak number of cases in many cities. He said the company is supporting the efforts of plasma alliance formed by companies like Octapharma, Takeda, CSL Behring and others. That project kicked off in late March, and counts the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation among its advisors.
After conducting its own research into the approach, Lee said he believes it has the “potential to save lives.” So the company is setting aside computing resources and other infrastructure, as well as engineering talent. It is also promoting the plasmabot through a website, and it’s search, web and social channels.
Microsoft is getting behind the effort now because plasma of recovered patients is only useful for a limited time.
“There’s a window from onset of symptoms that lasts from 21 to about 56 days,” said Lee.
Donating plasma is a more involved process than giving blood, and will take a few hours for those who are willing to participate. But efforts that are already underway are showing some promise, and recovered patients are enthusiastic to help others.
