How York-based Abingdon Health aims to help the world return to normal when the COVID-19 pandemic ends
York-based Abingdon Health plans to produce a new product to help the world return to normal as the pandemic eases.
Abingdon said that antibody testing has the potential to be a key tool in maintaining public safety, confidence in the vaccines and supporting effective vaccine booster campaigns.
Abingdon is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-quality rapid tests across all industry sectors, including healthcare and COVID-19.
The York-based company said it was pleased to note the publication of an article by researchers at the University of Birmingham illustrating the use of the AbC-19TM IgG spike antibody lateral flow device in semi-quantitative format and antibody responses against covid variants.
In a statement, Abingdon said: "The article demonstrates that AbC-19 TM (an Abingdon product) is able to monitor antibody response following vaccination or natural infection.
"The paper shows differences in strength of antibody response with the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines and the induced antibody responses to the original Wuhan variant, on which the vaccines are based.
"It also shows that these antibodies cross-react to the 'spike protein' of different variants of concern. This study was conducted using the AbC-19TM LFD and prototypes based on different covid variants. The results demonstrated a stronger antibody response in those vaccinated by Pfizer, compared to AZ, whilst noting the cohort vaccinated with AZ were older, which the authors noted may have an effect on antibody response."
Chris Yates, the chief executiv of Abingdon Health commented: "With the successful roll-out of vaccinations in the UK and many other countries, it is now imperative that we monitor the neutralising antibody levels in the worldwide population to maintain the safety of the public and instill confidence in people as they return to normal life.
"This study demonstrates how AbC-19TM can be used to monitor antibody response alongside vaccines as well as the neutralising antibody response following natural infection.
"The AbC-19TM test will allow individuals to know their own status, which is becoming a growing concern, and allow healthcare agencies and healthcare professionals worldwide to manage the continued vaccination roll-out and to develop effective and targeted booster vaccination programmes. The study also shows the ability of our scientists to pivot the format of the test if other variants of concern present which generate a different antibody response."
"Abingdon intends to make a supplementary product available, initially for research use only, in August which provides a semi-quantitative result which will may indicate the strength of antibody response and possibly immunity."