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University of Minnesota Medical School chosen as ‘Capacity Building Center’ for national network

The University of Minnesota Medical School's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology has been selected to participate in a new national network dedicated to serological, or antibody, sciences as one of four Capacity Building Centers in the country.

9 Oct 2020

Mount Sinai to receive more than $7.3 million as part of NCI's new Serological Sciences Network

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will receive more than $7.3 million from the National Cancer Institute as part of the NCI's new Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet), one of the largest coordinated national efforts to study immunology and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

8 Oct 2020

Rapid, low-cost test for potential universal COVID-19 monitoring

An international team of researchers has presented a convenient, low-cost serology test to detect antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could potentially be made available universally.

7 Oct 2020

AbC-19 blood test detects COVID-19 antibodies 20 weeks after first symptoms/PCR positive result

Serological antibody immunoassays are one of the essential tools to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In a new study, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are detected in a large cohort, lasting up to 140 days. The researchers propose an alternative to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive status as a standard for assessing SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays and show robust performance metrics for the AbC-19 rapid test.

5 Oct 2020

Self-collection of blood for COVID-19 antibody testing may be a reliable and easy alternative

Some evidence suggests that IgGs appear at 6-15 days after infection and may persist for months. However, large-scale testing over time is required to understand the immunological response to COVID-19 with greater accuracy. A recent pilot study published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 reports the use of self-collected capillary blood for serology, with highly promising results.

29 Sep 2020

Qatar worker communities may have attained herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2

Now, a recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 shows the achievement of herd immunity for SARS-CoV-2 infection by at least some expatriate worker communities in Qatar.

29 Sep 2020

Complex SARS-CoV-2 serology means universal immunological assay is not feasible

As we improve our understanding of immune responses and correlates of protection against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), two UK researchers emphasize that we will probably utilize different assays to tackle specific questions. Their commentary is published in the prestigious journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

27 Sep 2020

Tokyo citizens may have developed COVID-19 herd immunity, say researchers

Researchers in Japan and the United States have conducted a study showing that herd immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may have developed among the citizens of Tokyo during the summer.

24 Sep 2020

FDA issues emergency use authorization for first serology point-of-care test for COVID-19

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first serology (antibody) point-of-care (POC) test for COVID-19.

24 Sep 2020

Siemens’ SARS-CoV-2 antibody immunoassays meet regulatory targets

New research being presented at the ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID, online 23-25 September) shows that, in a head-to-head comparison of five tests used to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (known as 'immunoassays'), an assay manufactured by Siemens and one developed by an academic partnership led by the University of Oxford had the most accurate results.

24 Sep 2020

Oncology nurses should be routinely tested for SARS-CoV-2, warn researchers

Researchers from the NHS Foundation Trust, University of Cambridge and Cambridge Clinical Laboratories have warned that until a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) becomes available, antigen and antibody testing should be carried out among oncology nurses as part of routine patient care.

21 Sep 2020

Seropositive partners increase risk of COVID-19 but not obstetric complications in pregnant women

While earlier studies have shown the significance of serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in pregnant women, their partners have largely been excluded. Now, a new Danish study published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 reports the impact of serologic testing in both pregnant women and their partners, as well as their newborns.

17 Sep 2020

Critical insights into COVID-19 exposure for healthcare workers

A recent Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine study published in the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 shows that the use of standard guidelines of infection control, including personal protective equipment (PPE), helps to prevent the undue risk of infection among HCWs as well.

16 Sep 2020

New antibody assay for COVID-19 promises sensitive mass-scale detection

A new paper by researchers at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020, reports on the development of a serologic assay that is suitable for sensitive high-throughput antibody testing for COVID-19.

15 Sep 2020

Protocols for minimizing risk in COVID-19 bronchoscopy

One area, discussed in a recent paper by Northwestern University researchers and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020, is the viral exposure suffered by healthcare workers during bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).

3 Sep 2020

A global vaccine is sufficient to combat COVID-19 infection, indicates study

Genetic analysis of sequences from more than 27,000 individuals infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 reveals that the virus has mutated minimally since December 2019, suggesting one vaccine would be sufficient to combat global infections.

2 Sep 2020

Human antibody response to SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 reports on the human antibody response in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which is key to developing vaccines and managing the pandemic, as well as designing and executing serologic testing and interpreting their results.

1 Sep 2020

High SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence, low mortality at Austrian COVID-19 epicenter

Now, a new study reported on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 describes a high seroprevalence in an Austrian ski resort, which is considered to be the source of the European outbreak.

25 Aug 2020

Frequently used serology test may not detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, shows study

Two different types of detectable antibody responses in SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) tell very different stories and may indicate ways to enhance public health efforts against the disease, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

15 Aug 2020

COVID-19 patient with repeatedly undetectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

A recent case study published in the Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine in August 2020 illustrates this with its finding of persistent seronegativity in a patient confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2 positive.

10 Aug 2020