We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App





First Cell-Free NAb Assay with Superior Sensitivity and Precision Analyzes COVID-19 Immune Response

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 26 Aug 2022
Print article
Image: NAB-Sure SARS-CoV-2 Assay quantifies wild type SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralizing antibodies using qPCR workflows (Photo courtesy of Spear Bio)
Image: NAB-Sure SARS-CoV-2 Assay quantifies wild type SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralizing antibodies using qPCR workflows (Photo courtesy of Spear Bio)

Pharmaceutical drug developers and healthcare researchers need innovative tools to understand COVID-19 immune response and validate vaccines and therapeutics critical to managing the pandemic. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) assays are useful for understanding individual and population immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Study of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 provides invaluable data for clinical trials and the development of vaccines to fight the spread of the virus. NAb assays are required components of the clinical trials that identify the effectiveness of a new vaccine against a virus or its compatibility with existing drugs and treatment. Now, a new SARS-CoV-2 NAb test allows labs to work with diverse types of biospecimens and sizes of samples, including serum, plasma, and micro-sampling techniques like dried blood spots (DBS), providing consistent laboratory-to-laboratory results even when comparing different sample types.

The NAB-Sure SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Test Kit from Spear Bio (Woburn, MA, USA) that has been developed by former Harvard University scientists based at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering (Cambridge, MA, USA) provides a surrogate virus neutralization assay with much higher sensitivity than standard ELISA test formats and cell-based approaches. The NAB-Sure SARS-CoV-2 test kit simplifies testing for SARS-CoV-2 NAbs, producing qualitative and quantitative NAb titer measurements using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The assay has the accuracy of cell-based assays like the plaque-reduction neutralization testing (PRNT), the gold standard for NAb detection, without the safety concerns and long, complicated workflows. What's more is the assay's capability to analyze small volumes of serum or plasma enables new micro-sampling techniques to be leveraged during collection.

The NAB-Sure SARS-CoV-2 Assay provides an inter-laboratory coefficient of variation (CV) of 4.8% even for extremely small test sample sizes such as a DBS from a finger prick. The test results can help researchers validate vaccines and develop predictive models for antibody durability. Automation compatibility combined with industry-leading accuracy for small volumes promotes high throughput and reduces cost at every stage of testing: sample collection, detection, and analysis.

"Conventional cell-based methods for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody measurement have poor lab-to-lab consistency," said Spear Bio CTO and co-founder, Feng Xuan. "NAB-Sure SARS-CoV-2 Assay is the first cell-free NAb assay with superior sensitivity and precision. This performance combined with simplified workflows is an opportunity to standardize neutralizing antibody measurements, which is essential for the vaccine validation needed at this stage of the pandemic."

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
HLX
Complement 3 (C3) Test
GPP-100 C3 Kit
New
Gold Member
SARS-CoV-2 Reactive & Non-Reactive Controls
Qnostics SARS-CoV-2 Typing

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The study showed the blood-based cancer screening test detects 83% of people with colorectal cancer with specificity of 90% (Photo courtesy of Guardant Health)

Blood Test Shows 83% Accuracy for Detecting Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths among adults in the U.S., with forecasts suggesting 53,010 people might die from it in 2024. While fewer older adults are dying from this... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The Gazelle Hb Variant Test (Photo courtesy of Hemex Health)

First Affordable and Rapid Test for Beta Thalassemia Demonstrates 99% Diagnostic Accuracy

Hemoglobin disorders rank as some of the most prevalent monogenic diseases globally. Among various hemoglobin disorders, beta thalassemia, a hereditary blood disorder, affects about 1.5% of the world's... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The new platform is designed to perform blood-based diagnoses of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Blood Test Cuts Diagnosis Time for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections from Months to Hours

Breathing in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a common experience for many people. These bacteria are present in water systems, soil, and dust all over the world and usually don't cause any problems.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: These new assays are being developed for use on the recently introduced DxI 9000 Immunoassay Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)

Beckman Coulter and Fujirebio Expand Partnership on Neurodegenerative Disease Diagnostics

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Brea, CA, USA) and Fujirebio Diagnostics (Tokyo, Japan) have expanded their partnership focused on the development, manufacturing and clinical adoption of neurodegenerative... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.