22 | MAY 7 • 2020 

T

he battle against 
COVID-19 will most 
likely be won in a 
lab, and two local doctors 
are at the forefront of 
critical research and testing 
programs designed to unlock 
the mysteries surrounding 
the novel 
coronavirus. 
Dr. Matthew 
Sims, Director 
of Infectious 
Diseases 
Research at 
Beaumont, and 
Dr. Phil Levy, 
Chief Innovation 
Officer of the 
Wayne State 
University 
Physician Group 
and Assistant 
Vice President 
of Translational Science 
and Clinical Research 
Innovation for Wayne 
State University, are 
leading different testing 

efforts designed to better 
understand how the virus 
behaves and determine who 
is infectious, who may be 
immune, how we potentially 
treat patients and how we 
navigate life with COVID-19 
in our midst.
“It’
s interesting times 
because we’
ve never faced 
anything like this,” Levy said. 
“We’
re really going to have 
to think as a collective.” 
Beaumont Health is 
launching the nation’
s largest 
serological testing study for 
COVID-19 antibodies. The 
health care system will test 
its 38,000+ employees on a 
voluntary basis and measure 
antibodies in the blood 
to determine a person’
s 
immune response to the 
virus. Beaumont is hoping 
to uncover how many team 
members have antibodies 
but never showed signs 
of the virus. It’
s believed 
up to 50% of those who 

contract COVID-19 may not 
experience symptoms but 
can still infect others. 
Doctors are also trying 
to learn whether having 
COVID-19 antibodies 
protects people from 
becoming re-infected. 
Sims, the study’
s principal 
investigator, believes it does.
“This study will help prove 
that antibodies protect those 
that have them,” he says. “It 
is our hope that this study 
provides a template for 
others to conduct similar 
research that will collectively 
clarify many unknowns 
about COVID-19.”
People who have high 
levels of COVID-19 
antibodies in their blood 
may be asked to donate 
plasma to treat seriously 
ill patients. Sims says that 
method has worked in other 
countries. The study could 
also help determine who 
should be vaccinated first. 

Sidney and Madeline 
Forbes; Nathan and 
Catherine Forbes; the 
Levy Dresner Foundation; 
Stephen and Bobbi Polk; 
Warren Rose and the Rose 
Family; Mickey, Steven, 
Margie and Edward 
Shapiro; and Gwen and S. 
Evan Weiner collectively 
contributed more than $3 
million to support initial 
funding for the research.

DRIVE-THROUGH, MOBILE 
TESTING AND MORE
Across town at the Michigan 
State Fairgrounds in Detroit, 
it’
s an eerie scene. White 
tents are set up in a row 
and orange cones line the 
entranceway. As cars pull up, 
workers in masks, gloves, 
face shields, and other 
protective gear approach and 
administer COVID-19 tests. 
The effort has been under 
way for several weeks to test 
first responders, health care 

continued on page 23

Dr. Matthew 
Sims

Dr. Phil Levy

Put to the Test

Local doctors lead COVID-19 studies that could help solve this crisis.

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jews in the D
A mobile 
COVID-19 
testing site

COURTESY OF PHIL LEVY

