With all that’s going on in the world right now, the only certainty seems to be that the future is uncertain. However, I am trying not to despair because I know that human ingenuity and human innovation will ultimately succeed as it inevitably does in history. Specifically in this instance, I believe this necessity will birth technological advancements and that’s what I will be examining in this post. I’ll be looking at some of the advancements or even technological adaptations made during these times as well as similar situations in the past.  

First, an interesting story that grabbed my attention concerns the shortage of face masks in the US. To combat this issue, many groups are stepping up to independently supply medical services – one of these groups is Penn State. Among a group of about 5 universities, Penn State is collaborating with engineering departments to 3D print and laser cut plastic face shield masks. At Michigan State University for example, within a few hours a team produced about 130 faces masks. 

While this example comes from a protective and safety approach, let’s take a look at what researchers are working on to “solve” the disease. One approach involves examining the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19. That blood contains a stockpile of antibodies made by immune cells that have succeeded against the invading virus. While multiple efforts are focusing on repurposing existing drugs, like remdesivir or chloroquine, to fight this new virus, many scientists think that the fastest route to treat the infection could come by harvesting those antibodies. This method would not produce a cure, but would give patients time to produce their own antibodies, important for older people whose immune systems have difficulty fighting the disease. 

Even more astounding, a company called GigaGen calls the aforementioned method “old school” and instead are trying to do something new called polyclonal antibody therapy. To do this, they will collect blood from about 50 to 100 people that have recovered from COVID-19, find B cells that make antibodies for the virus, and then copy the genes from those B cells into genetically modified cell lines that crank out these virus-targeting antibodies in bioreactors. CEO David Johnson says “it’s like recreating the entire immune system in a drug.” The timeline for this is expected manufacturing in July and clinical trials beginning in 2021. While the method is unproven, the results could be promising.

In short, what I’m trying to get at with these examples is that these desperate times will spark innovation, and not just in the medical sector to combat this virus. While many people express fears about the impending recession, some of the largest tech companies were formed during recessions. General Motors, IBM, Microsoft, and Venmo are just some of the many examples of companies that fit this profile.

To conclude this passion thread post, I hope you have realized how rapidly we as a people are advancing technologically. Ideas not fathomable even a couple years ago are now becoming a reality. Consequently, technology will continue to advance to beat this pressing obstacle of coronavirus. Don’t lose faith and never lose your curiosity! Thanks for reading.