“The Search for the Cure to Corona” – with Dr. Eldad Hod

Can plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19 be used to treat patients who are currently infected? Dr. Hod, a professor at Columbia University and a transfusion medicine expert, discusses his current research into this question. Using plasma in medicine is far from new, but there are many challenges faced by Dr. Hod and his colleagues in finding a treatment and cure for the coronavirus. There are many ethical dilemmas involved in the use of this treatment and its research as well as logistical challenges due to the current situation. Dr. Hod explains that clinical trials are “difficult in the best of times” and take several years to complete, but that scientists are doing all that they can to find effective treatments for COVID-19 fast. He also discusses how listeners in New York City could donate blood or plasma and the development of at-home antibody tests.  

Dr. Eldad Hod is an Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University as well as a researcher and expert in transfusion medicine. He received training from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed a residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and was fellowship-trained at New York Blood Center. Dr. Hod holds board certification in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine and Pathology-Anatomic/Pathology-Clinical. He has received several awards including the Jean Julliard Prize and the Jack Latham Memorial Award for Innovative Research from the National Blood Foundation. In addition to his current COVID-19 research, Dr. Hod typically researches problems related to red blood cell transfusion and iron biology and has completed numerous clinical trials.