As the world adjusts to a new reality set by the pandemic, scientists are racing for a COVID-19 cure or treatment as the virus continues to spread. However, those who have recovered from the illness might be a key to saving lives.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has no treatment and no vaccine, but antibodies from recovered patients could help current others who are fighting the deadly virus. This type of treatment was first used in the 1890s to treat diphtheria, a bacterial infection that impacts the throat and nose.
The blood component that carries the antibodies, known as plasma, can be gathered as "convalescent plasma" and given to newly infected coronavirus patients.
Donors must have tested positive for COVID-19 and must wait a certain period of time after they tested negative for the disease, or be symptom-free for at least 28 days if they didn’t get a follow-up test, before being able to donate plasma.
The whole donation process takes up to 90 minutes, according to Reuters. The blood is drawn from a donor, who met the appropriate criteria and is run through a device to extract the plasma before the remaining blood returns to the donor. The plasma from a single donation reportedly could be used to help two to four patients.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, convalescent plasma has been studied in other respiratory infection outbreaks before such as SARS in 2003, H1N1 influenza in 2009 to 2010, and MERS in 2012.
COVID-19 convalescent plasma is in clinical trials, but although the FDA points out it's promising, it has not yet been proven to be effective as a way to treat COVID-19. With that being said, doctors do believe the method is worth attempting.
After months of investigation, board members from U.S. big oil companies were slated to appear before a House oversight committee this week to discuss their respective roles in pushing for climate initiatives internally. However, all four board members from Exxon, Shell, Chevron, and BP said they couldn't attend due to scheduling conflicts. Climate experts are testifying in their place about how effective big oil's climate promises have been so far. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's lead science adviser Eric Lander has resigned after an investigation found he violated workplace policy. What will this mean for Biden's climate agenda? Amy Harder, executive editor of Cipher, a publication by Breakthrough Energy, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Although this week's weather is predicted to be less severe than the 2021 storm, Texans are preparing for the worst - stocking up on supplies and emptying shelves in grocery stores, once again. Some Texans still have not recovered from last year's tragedy, and are heading into the next few weeks with anxiety for what's to come. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Houston-based energy workforce & technology council, joins Cheddar News to discuss if the Texas grid will fail again.
The American Red Cross has declared its first-ever "national blood crisis" in the United States. Since COVID hit the U.S. in March 2020, blood donations have declined by 10 percent. American Red Cross Medical Director, Dr. Baia Lasky joined Cheddar News to discuss the country facing the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Dr. Lasky noted that as much as 40 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood but only about 4 percent do so. "This is going to be ongoing," she said. "This is not an acute shortage. We really do need the commitment of people to come out and donate and donate again." Appointments to donate can be made by using the Red Cross Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Eight months after the National Football League announced $1 million in research into cannabinoids, the NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee has awarded the funding to two teams of medical researchers at the University of California San Diego and the University of Regina. The NFL says the studies will investigate the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football players, respectively. Cheddar correspondent Chloe Ailello spoke with Jeff Miller, the executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy for the NFL, about the studies, as well as the recent lawsuit filed against the NFL by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. "Maybe we can learn things from other alternative pain approaches that are going to benefit our player population and then sports medicine as a whole," Miller said.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
Immunologist Dr. Purvi Parikh of the Allergy & Asthma Network joined Cheddar News to break down long Covid, in which Covid symptoms remain up to two years after infection; a phenomenon that has so far mystified health experts.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
David Malott, founder and chief architect at AI PlanetWorks joins Cheddar News to discuss the release of its augmented reality NFTs for the metaverse called 'TERA.'
A 2021 report from UK Research and Innovation found that the shipping industry makes up at least 2.5 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions. It's a problem that energy solutions company, Leclanché, is trying to solve. Founded in 1909, the company has been developing and producing batteries for more than 100 years. Today, Leclanché's lithium-ion battery is used to electrify not just ships, but also railroad locomotives, trucks, and specialty vehicles. Cheddar News spoke with Pierre Blanc, chief technology and industrial officer of Leclanché, to discuss.
