In the worldwide race to find a vaccine for COVID-19, Michael Good knows he's starting as the tortoise rather than the hare.
"So we're certainly behind other groups around the world who have got vaccines into people's arms already but … our approach is a different approach," Professor Good said of his team at the Institute for Glycomics at Gold Coast's Griffith University.
That difference is convalescent plasma.
"When someone has recovered from an illness they usually, but not always, develop an antibody response and you can see those antibodies present in their plasma," Professor Good said.
Convalescent plasma is being touted as a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients, but Professor Good says he is not aware of any other researchers using it in the hunt for a vaccine.
"We're using that plasma, or serum, to pinpoint what parts of the virus are being recognised by the antibodies in those people who have recovered," he said.
"We're using it to identify what the actual vaccine components will be."
Gold Coast donor 'chuffed'
The plasma has been donated by 30 patients who recovered from COVID-19 at Gold Coast University Hospital.
"That's amazing ... I'm pretty chuffed actually to be part of that," said Kim Watkins, who was on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of GCUH for three days battling the virus.
Ms Watkins said she didn't know what her blood would be used for when she agreed to donate it.
"I feel like I'm contributing to the greater good, being part of something bigger to help get over this thing, it's insidious ... and the sooner we can find something to stop it in its tracks the better," she said.
Which vaccine will work first?
The World Health Organisation says more than 140 vaccines are in development but only 13 are at the stage of human trials.
"They're all using different approaches to a vaccine and there's no guarantee that any of them will work," Professor Good said.
"I think we have to have a number of different approaches worldwide to increase our chances of getting something that does work."
Professor Good says his team will know by September or October if they've found something worthy of testing in human trials.
