UNC School of Medicine announces new kind of test for COVID-19
Category: #health  | By Mateen Dalal  | Date: 2020-06-13 |
  • shareshare_icon
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

UNC School of Medicine announces new kind of test for COVID-19

With the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 increasing to over 7.5 million, the need for extensively applicable surveillance testing for better understanding of infection rates, particularly the number of infections in people with no or mild symptoms, is of paramount importance.

In a bid to simplify COVID-19 testing across the globe, researchers at UNC School of Medicine have reportedly developed a new kind of antibody test that would help labs that don’t have resources of commercial labs and academic centers to test thousands of blood samples.

Sources cite that the researchers created a blood test to identify SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that target RBD (Receptor Binding Domain) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The RBD-based antibody test measures the levels of that domain which associate to the levels of the important neutralizing antibodies that strengthen immunity.

The RBD of the spike protein in coronavirus is not shared among other known animal and human coronaviruses. Thus, antibodies against this domain are highly specific to SARS-CoV-2. These antibodies are present in the individuals who have been exposed to the coronavirus related to COVID-19.

Certainly, when scientists tested blood collected from individuals exposed to other types of coronaviruses, no one had antibodies to the RBD of SARS-CoV-2.

Commenting on this new study, co-senior author Aravinda de Silva said that the study is very specific for antibodies to the SARS-COV-2, which is not the case for some existing available antibody tests.

Mr. De Silva added that the study’s outcomes strongly support the use of RBD-based antibody evaluates for population-level observation and as a correlate of the neutralizing antibody levels in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

For the development of this new testing methods, researchers studied large number of SARC-Cov-2 infected patients.

Source Credit - https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200611/UNC-scientists-develop-new-kind-of-antibody-test-for-COVID-19.aspx

  • shareshare_icon
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn


About Author

Mateen Dalal     twitter

Mateen Dalal

A qualified electronics and telecommunication engineer, Mateen Dalal embarked on his professional journey working as a quality and test engineer. Harnessing his passion for content creation however, Mateen pens down industry-rich articles for ReportsGO.com and a few o...

Read More..

More News By Mateen Dalal

Apollo plans to expand looking at average occupancy surge

Apollo plans to expand looking at average occupancy surge

By Mateen Dalal

Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd., one of India's leading healthcare providers, is reportedly targeting to increase the average occupancy rate in its hospitals to 68-70% for the fiscal year 2024. The company recently announced impressive finan...

ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI proposes regulation of AI by humans

ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI proposes regulation of AI by humans

By Mateen Dalal

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has reportedly put forward a proposal for the establishment of an international organization to regulate artificial intelligence (AI). Led by CEO Sam Altman, the company believes that AI systems developed within the ne...

Medtronic pledges USD 350 Mn to expand R&D operations in India

Medtronic pledges USD 350 Mn to expand R&D operations in India

By Mateen Dalal

Medtronic, a leading healthcare technology company, has announced plans to expand its R&D center in Hyderabad, India, with a whopping investment of USD 350 million. The existing facility is already the largest center for the company outside the U...