Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App





Two-Step Prognostic Test Can Predict Severe COVID-19 Cases Even Before Serious Symptoms Appear

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 29 Apr 2021
Researchers have developed a two-step prognostic test that can help predict a COVID-19 patient's response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The test developed by researchers at University of California (UCI; Irvine, CA, USA) combines a disease risk factor score with a test for antibodies produced early in the infection. More...
It could be administered at the time of diagnosis to help guide therapeutic choices before the most severe symptoms appear.

Early in the pandemic, researchers developed accurate diagnostic tests and identified health conditions that correlated with worse outcomes. However, a clinical predictor of who faces the highest risk of being hospitalized, put on a ventilator or dying from the disease has remained largely out of reach. Most diagnostic tests search for antibodies associated with interrupting the virus. The UCI researchers initially set out to develop their own diagnostic, following this same strategy, but quickly realized that plenty of competing tests would soon be available. Instead, they pivoted to focus on other, unstudied antibodies - ones that wouldn't necessarily disrupt the virus or help the immune system fight the infection.

Previous studies have predicted that the SARS-CoV-2 particle has more than 55 epitopes, or sites on the virus where antibodies can attach. The best studied epitopes to date are those found on the S, or spike, protein, but the virus has three other structural proteins, each with epitopes worth investigating. Using ELISAs, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, the researchers compiled a list of antibodies that might correlate with worse prognosis and ultimately focused on one that attaches to epitope 9 on the N, or nucleocapsid, protein. The group also developed a tool that used data on factors including age, sex, and pre-existing health conditions to produce a disease risk factor score (DRFS).

They tested their tool on a group of 86 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus. Patients whose tests revealed the presence of epitope 9 antibodies were more likely to have prolonged illness and worse outcomes than people without the antibodies. Of the 23 people in the study who did have the antibodies associated with epitope 9, a high DRFS predicted disease severity with more than 92% sensitivity. The test uses technology and tools readily available in testing labs. An inexpensive prognostic test could inform treatment decisions early in the disease progression. The researchers found that the epitope-9 antibodies become detectable between one and six days after the onset of symptoms.

"You can predict with really high sensitivity that someone is going to have a severe case of COVID-19," said Emily Sanders, a UCI graduate student.

Related Links:
University of California


Gold Member
Universal Transport Solution
Puritan®UniTranz-RT
Portable Electronic Pipette
Mini 96
New
6 Part Hematology Analyzer with RET + IPF
Mispa HX 88
New
Gold Member
Cardiovascular Risk Test
Metabolic Syndrome Array I & II
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The Cancerguard test is designed to help find multiple cancers in earlier stages to close gaps in cancer screening (Photo courtesy of Exact Sciences)

First-of-Its-Kind Blood Test Detects Over 50 Cancer Types

Many cancers lack routine screening, so patients are often diagnosed only after tumors grow and spread, when options are limited. A faster, less invasive approach that broadens early detection could shift... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The VENTANA HER2 (4B5) test is now CE-IVDR approved (Photo courtesy of Roche)

Companion Diagnostic Test Identifies HER2-Ultralow Breast Cancer and Biliary Tract Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Europe, with more than 564,000 new cases and 145,000 deaths annually. Metastatic breast cancer is rising in younger populations and remains the leading cause... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: An adult fibrosarcoma case report has shown the importance of early diagnosis and targeted therapy (Photo courtesy of Sultana and Sailaja/Oncoscience)

Accurate Pathological Analysis Improves Treatment Outcomes for Adult Fibrosarcoma

Adult fibrosarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy that develops in connective tissue and often affects the limbs, trunk, or head and neck region. Diagnosis is complex because tumors can mimic... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Conceptual design of the CORAL capsule for microbial sampling in the small intestine (H. Mohammed et al., Device (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100904)

Coral-Inspired Capsule Samples Hidden Bacteria from Small Intestine

The gut microbiome has been linked to conditions ranging from immune disorders to mental health, yet conventional stool tests often fail to capture bacterial populations in the small intestine.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.