Coronavirus In Minnesota: Antibody Tests Developed In Minnesota To Soon Be On The Front Lines
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two new tests, developed by the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic, are expected to help the medical industry better understand who has recovered from COVID-19, advancing the fight against the virus.
Since it is possible to spread the coronavirus without showing any symptoms, testing antibodies is widely seen as a more reliable measure in determining how many people have been infected. It's conducted via blood sample and checks for antibodies, which is the immune system's response to an infection, according to Dr. Elitza Theel of the Mayo Clinic.
Theel explained how these tests could help researchers, noting that the tests are being used in clinical trials right now, by taking the plasma of those who have recovered and therefore have antibodies, and injecting it into people who are sick.
"The thought is: Antibodies that are in the plasma from recovered patients may help the sick individuals to more rapidly fight off the virus," said Theel, who directs the clinic's Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory.
If it works, she says, doctors will have one more tool to use as people wait for a vaccine.
Finding people who have recovered could also help determine who's immune, and with more research, that determination could send certain people back to work.
"I think the expectation is that these antibodies will provide at least some partial immunity to reinfection," Theel said. "However, we really don't know that yet, so we really need additional studies to determine how long protective immunity lasts."
Theel notes that only one antibody test has emergency authorization from the FDA, and it is not the one developed by the Mayo Clinic. However, she says there are more than 60 different types of tests available and the Mayo Clinic's version has gone through extensive verification studies to make sure it's as accurate as possible. No test is 100% perfect.
The Mayo Clinic started administering its tests to certain recovered patients in early April, and plans to make it accessible nationwide in the next few weeks.
The University of Minnesota's version is expected to roll out to Bethesda Hospital's frontline workers this week.
