New Commercial Covid 19 Antibody Test Available

Researchers from the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and many other universities and institutions have manufactured a new device which acts as a high-speed point-of-care test for the identification of Covid 19 neutralising antibodies (NAbs).

The best thing about the test is that, unlike any other NAb test on the market, it does not require specialists or laboratories to produce accurate results. This removes the problem we have historically had where tests cannot cater to entire populations because of the prolonged process and burden that it places on hospitals and laboratories. The new antibody test that can be done without putting pressure on these facilities means that instant point-of-care testing and tracking the status of people in workplaces, high traffic points, and immigration checkpoints can occur.

It is imperative to check the effectiveness of immunizations and herd immunity as well as being able to screen for Covid 19 on a mass scale. Which is why it is so important that this test can be performed in just 10 minutes and be up to 93% accurate.

Dr Megan McBee, scientific director at SMART AMR, said: “With the gradual opening up of borders, economies and society, having the right test, and information will be crucial to not only plan for this future but also ensure that it can be done safely without hampering current efforts to curb the spread of the virus.”

Principal investigator at SMART AMR, Professor Hadley Sikes, said “Schools and workplaces will also benefit greatly from the test. Whether a person should be considered for receiving a booster vaccine can also be evaluated with this quick test as the results are available within minutes from a fingertip blood sample. And, if we can quickly determine immunity on a larger scale, the review and relaxing of COVID-related measures can be done in a more controlled, data-driven manner.”

Co-corresponding author, Professor Peter Preiser, said “Besides detecting immunity to the current vaccine version of SARS-CoV-2 virus, the NAb test can be modified to monitor immunity against the other variants of the virus. This can provide information on the potential efficacy of different vaccines against each variant, or whether one should travel to areas that may have a high incidence of a specific variant.”