India’s first RBD-antibody testing centre starts in Nagpur

NAGPUR: India’s first RBD-Plasma Bank and Corona RBD-Antibody Testing Center was inaugurated in Nagpur on Sunday. RBD testing allows measurement of the level and effectivity of antibodies developed in patients recovered from Covid-19. Only plasma with enough antibodies can be selected through this process and supplied to seriously ill patients. This will ensure good results of plasma therapy or off-label use of plasma.
Dr Harish Warbhe, medical director of RBD Plasma Bank, out of 10 screened recovered Covid-19 patients, only 3-4 show the desired RBD-Antibody levels. With maximum people coming forward for plasma donation, now doctors can select donors with high RBD-Antibody level for therapeutic benefits and faster recovery of other patients.
“Giving convalescent plasma blindly without desired RBD-Antibody titer will not give desired benefits to patient but can expose the patients to some potential risks or harm. Patients have shown encouraging results after receiving plasma having RBD-Antibody titer of 1:640 and more. With this testing facility, we can get plasma of this quality,” said Dr Warbhe.
Dr Warbhe has already submitted a proposal to partner with PLATINA Project to undertake RBD-Testing on no-profit-no-loss basis. He has also offered to extend free services of RBD-testing to benefit patients in the initial period, since approval process takes its own time.
Apart from the use of RBD-Antibody testing for plasma therapy, this lab has many more important utilities like an aid-in-diagnosis to complement RT-PCR to identify patients with recent or prior infection, in sero-prevalence and epidemiology studies, evaluation of vaccine efficacy, and thus helping in reopening society.
Recovered individuals (hospital discharged or home quarantined) who are asymptomatic without medication for 14 days, of age 18 years or more, weighing more than 50kg, can donate plasma every 15 days for 4 months after necessary medical examination and blood tests. A suitable donor can donate plasma every 14 days for up to 6 months. The antibody titers do not decrease in donors up to 7 plasma donations. Donating plasma is very safe for the health of the plasma donor.
The RBD-Plasma Bank and Corona RBD-Antibody Testing Center was inaugurated by collector Ravindra Thakare on Sunday. This project is by Lifeline Blood Bank, Ramdaspeth, which is NABH accredited and run by a charitable trust.