Mayo Clinic, NBA partner for league antibody study

[May 21, 2020]  Mayo Clinic research hospital will conduct a leaguewide study to determine how many NBA coaches and players have developed antibodies to the coronavirus.

ESPN reported executives and staff also can participate in the study piloted by the renowned Rochester, Minn., facility. All 30 teams are expected to participate.

Major League Baseball conducted a similar study in partnership with Stanford University but a mere 0.7 percent of 10,000 test subjects affiliated with MLB showed development of COVID-19 antibodies.

Mayo Clinic is researching the validity of using a finger prick to draw blood for the tests and plans to apply that method to the NBA tests, USA Today reported.

NBA games are on hold during a hiatus that has stretched beyond two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some teams are opening their practice facilities with oversight from the NBA and by adhering to stringent sanitization and social distancing measures that allow for individual workouts exclusively.

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's hand is seen as he plays with the ball during the training ahead of the NBA Paris Game 2020 in Paris, France January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

The Minnesota Timberwolves, whose practice facility is just over an hour away from the Mayo Clinic campus, are scheduled to open their facility for the first time on Thursday.

Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns' mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, died from the coronavirus on April 13.

--Field Level Media

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