A Canadian team from London is the first in world to treat COVID-19 with specialized dialysis.
LONDON - A Canadian team from London Ontario is the first in the world to treat COVID-19 with specialized dialysis.
Dr. Chris McIntyre, Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute and Nephrologist at London Health Sciences Centre, is the first in the world to treat a patient with COVID-19 using a modified dialysis device.
The device gently removes a patient’s blood, modifies white blood cells and returns them to fight hyper inflammation. It is being tested with critically ill patients at London Health Sciences Centre. Dr. McIntyre explains how he came up with the idea.
“Working in the intensive care unit (ICU), I was aware that more treatment options were needed in the fight against COVID-19This led to the idea of treating a patient’s blood outside of the body. We could reprogram white blood cells associated with inflammation to alter the immune response.”
The clinical trial will include up to 40 critically ill patients with COVID-19 at LHSC’s Victoria Hospital and University Hospital. Research participants will be randomized to receive either standard supportive care or standard supportive care in combination with this novel treatment. Dr. McIntyre says the research team will compare patient outcomes to determine if the treatment is effective.
“The ultimate goal is to improve patient survival and lessen their dependency on oxygen and ventilation. If effective, it’s possible that this treatment could be combined with other therapies. For example, this could be used to modulate inflammatory consequences while an antiviral drug is used to reduce the viral load.”
You can find more information about the project online here.

Oxford OPP Investigating Fatal Collision
Drug Trafficking Investigation Leads to Charges
WITAAR Supports Daysrping
Southwestern Public Health Survey
UPDATE: Severe Thunderstorm Watch Cancelled
Zorra Township Candidate Profile - Michael Kukhta
Supplies4Students Returns to Oxford County
Oxford County Power Outages
Woodstock Candidate Profile - Bernia Martin
Oxford OPP Briefs - June 30th
Arpan Khanna Appointed to New Role
Tip Tuesday with the Oxford OPP - June 2026
Annual Highland Games Return to Embro
Woodstock Police Service Briefs - June 30th
Tillsonburg Candidate Profile - Kelly Spencer
Heat Wave Brings Heat Warning
GoFundMe Created Following Work Incident
OPP Remind Public on Helmet Safety
Tillsonburg Candidate Profile - Chris Rosehart
Canada Day Celebrations Coming to Woodstock
Comments
Add a comment