A group of researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, have discovered antibodies of SARS-CoV-2 in the placentas of numerous women who had tested positive for the coronavirus in the course of their pregnancies. In the study, which was reported in the “Journal of the American Medical Association,” the researchers describe their results, which were derived from assessing various women who had been infected with the coronavirus as well as their placentas after they delivered their infants.
Amid the pandemic, which has continued to infect millions of individuals across the globe, researchers have put a lot of effort into trying to understand how this fatal disease works and what the SARS-CoV-2 virus does to the people it infects.
One field of concern has been pregnant women, with some research suggesting that they are more at risk of developing severe symptoms when compared to the general population. In addition to this, researchers are also concerned with what happens to their infants, both in the course of pregnancy and after delivery.
With the intention of finding out, the researchers analyzed the maternal and cord blood sera for 1,471 women who had given birth at the study site between April 9 and Aug. 8, 2020. The team of scientists looked for the presence of the virus and the antibodies that arose as part of the immune system’s response.
The scientists discovered antibodies of SARS-CoV-2 in 83 of the placentas. This suggests that it is probable that antibodies can make their way to infants, thus providing them with protection from the virus.
In addition to this, the scientists found that when the mother was infected with the coronavirus, the disease’s degree of infection was reflected by the number of antibodies discovered in the placenta. Women who had been infected in the early stages of their pregnancy had more antibodies in their placentas. This did not change when the researchers looked at whether the mother had or had not developed symptoms of the virus after being exposed to it.
However, it is still not clear to the researchers the amount of the protection the infants received or how long the antibodies persevered. Researchers also looked into the antibody types that made it into the placenta. They discovered that immunoglobulin G antibodies were the only antibodies able to enter into the placental cord’s blood. They observed that none of the infants involved in the study had tested positive for the coronavirus, which was a good sign. However, this is not enough evidence to declare that infants can’t be infected with COVID-19 while still in the womb.
COVID-19 aside, other biotech companies are tackling other pressing health concerns. An example is Brain Scientific Inc. (OTCQB: BRSF), which makes clinical-grade devices for the neurological sector. So far, two such devices are already on the market, both backed by patents in the United States, Europe and China.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Brain Scientific Inc. (OTCQB: BRSF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/BRSF
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