Largest Serological Testing Study for COVID-19 Antibodies Launched in US

Beaumont Health’s Research Institute (Royal Oak, MI, USA) is launching the largest serological testing study in the US to help answer several questions surrounding the spread of COVID-19 and potentially help treat patients battling the virus. The new study aims to determine the total population with COVID-19 antibodies across a health system, identify potential convalescent plasma donors, better understand disease transmission and contribute to a scientifically-based methodology for returning people to work.

Serological blood testing detects antibodies the body creates to fight an infection. In the case of COVID-19, antibodies might develop as soon as three to six days after infection. Even after the recovery from COVID-19, antibodies remain. In many other infections, antibodies offer immunity against re-infection. The study will begin to answer whether COVID-19 antibodies offer any protection post infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 25 to 50% of people with COVID-19 might not show symptoms, but could still spread the disease to others. Beaumont’s serological testing study will start solving this mystery by identifying the number of people who have COVID-19 antibodies but never reported any symptoms. The Beaumont Research Institute will focus the initial study solely on the Beaumont community of inpatients and its 38,000 employees and thousands of affiliates. To detect and analyze COVID-19 antibody levels, Beaumont Health will use two PerkinElmer, Inc.’s (Waltham, MA; USA) EUROLabWorkstations and EUROIMMUN Anti-SARS-CoV-2 ELISA testing kits which recently received CE marking in Europe.

A 2015 serological study of the MERS coronavirus tested 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia. Researchers extrapolated that nearly 45,000 people in the country might have been exposed to the virus as compared to fewer than 2,500 cases of MERS that were verified around the world. The FDA has approved convalescent plasma transfusion as a therapeutic treatment. This approach has been used for other viral outbreaks such as measles, polio, mumps and influenza. Individuals who have high levels of COVID-19 antibodies in their system may be asked to donate plasma for convalescent plasma transfusions to treat gravely ill patients. This method has been successfully used in China to treat COVID-19 patients on ventilators and make them breathe again on their own. Beaumont plans to use data collected through this study as part of its own return to work process and believes that the study could serve as a model for how other businesses get their employees back to work.

“In addition to answering key questions on infection spread and the percentage of total asymptomatic cases in a community, we intend to relieve anxiety through a better understanding of the spread of the infection across Beaumont Health,” said Richard Kennedy, Ph.D, Beaumont Health Vice President for Research and Director of the Beaumont Research Institute.

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