E-Paper
MIT scientists claim new test can predict immunity against Covid-19: Report
The scientists say that the test could help in determining what precautions an individual needs to take against Covid-19 infection. The scientists have filed for a patent and are now looking forward to partner with a diagnostic company that can manufacture the devices and seek Food and Drug Administration's approval.
The contagious Covid-19 is not yet over. Every time we think the pandemic is gone, the virus appears in a different variant. Nowadays, people have got protection from the virus either through vaccination, infection or both. But how much protection does anyone have against the virus?
The scientists at US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a test which may be able to predict protection an individual has against the virus.
The test which uses the same technology as the rapid antigen tests, measures the level of neutralising antibodies that target the virus in a blood sample, the MIT website reported.
The scientists say that the test could help in determining what precautions an individual needs to take against Covid-19 infection. The scientists have filed for a patent on the technology and are now looking forward to partner with a diagnostic company that can manufacture the devices and seek Food and Drug Administration's approval.
According to the report, the test is designed so that different viral spike proteins can be included and allow it to be modified to detect immunity against any existing or future Covid-19 variant.
According to the website, the current approach to measure immunity involves mixing a blood sample with live virus and by measuring how many cells in the sample are killed by the virus. The researchers say that the procedure is ‘too hazardous’ and the most commonly used approaches involve a non-infectious modified particles which are based on the ELISA test which can detect antibodies.
The first step involves mixing human blood samples with a viral RBD protein which has been labeled with tiny gold particles. After enabling the antibodies to interact with the viral protein, few drops of the sample are placed on a test strip embedded with two test lines, the website reported.
Next, one of the lines attract the RBD proteins while the other one attracts any RBD that has been captured by neutralising antibodies.
