An accomplished anesthesiologist, Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero serves as both a professor and vice president of the Department of Anesthesiology, as well as medical director for Perioperative Quality and Patient Safety, at Stony Brook Medicine. In April 2020, Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero initiated a clinical study on a potential cure for ill patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The rapid increase in mortality rate associated with the spread of the novel coronavirus infection has spurred the urgent need for research-driven therapies. In an effort to address this issue, researchers at Stony Brook Medicine revisited a century-old approach to treating infectious diseases known as convalescent plasma. This involves introducing antibody-rich plasma from a healthy patient (who had recovered from the virus) to a sick patient's blood serum to optimize immune response to the infection. According to Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, the lead researcher, an infected patient may gain an immune system benefit enabling recovery from the illness through an antibody-rich plasma transfusion. He also added that the approach is potentially beneficial at the early stages of the disease, when patients are yet to develop sufficient levels of antibodies to fight the infection. This study was approved by the FDA on April 2, 2020.

1. Stony Brook's Researchers Embark on New
Study on COVID-19 Cure
Elliott Bennett-Guerrero

2. Introduction
An accomplished anesthesiologist, Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero serves as both a
professor and vice president of the Department of Anesthesiology, as well as
medical director for Perioperative Quality and Patient Safety, at Stony Brook
Medicine. In April 2020, Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero initiated a clinical study on a
potential cure for ill patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

3. The rapid increase in mortality rate associated with the spread of the novel coronavirus
infection has spurred the urgent need for research-driven therapies. In an effort to address
this issue, researchers at Stony Brook Medicine revisited a century-old approach to
treating infectious diseases known as convalescent plasma. This involves introducing
antibody-rich plasma from a healthy patient (who had recovered from the virus) to a sick
patient's blood serum to optimize immune response to the infection.

4. According to Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, the lead researcher, an infected patient
may gain an immune system benefit enabling recovery from the illness through
an antibody-rich plasma transfusion. He also added that the approach is
potentially beneficial at the early stages of the disease, when patients are yet to
develop sufficient levels of antibodies to fight the infection. This study was
approved by the FDA on April 2, 2020.