DiaSys Diagnostic Systems, a diagnostics company based in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, has expanded its portfolio with the instruction of an immunoturbidimetric test for quantitative determination of total antibodies in COVID-19. This universally applicable total antibody test, called SARS-CoV-2 UTAB FS (UTAB = Universal Total AntiBody), enables the detection SARS CoV-2 antibodies to check whether a person may have developed immunity to COVID-19.

The test detects antibodies of the early immune response (IgM and IgA antibodies) as well as antibodies that evoke a more longlasting specific immune response in blood (antibody class IgG). It has been shown that the virus attaches to the host cell via a special binding site in the spike 1 envelope protein, the so-called receptor binding domain (RBD) and then infects the host cell.

Antibodies against this RBD are able to suppress the attachment of the virus to the host cell and thus its infection and are consequently called neutralizing antibodies. Due to the importance of these antibodies, DiaSys has selected the RBD as the target antigen for the assay to determine total antibodies in COVID-19. Quantitative assessment of antibodies against the RBD domain of the spike protein, so-called anti- RBD SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, is becoming increasingly important. It provides information on the actual spread of infection in the population and enables characterization of a vaccine-induced immune response. It helps define the initial antibody status, captures the change in antibody levels induced by a vaccine, and enables the checking of the efficacy of a vaccine to determine required vaccination intervals.

SARS-CoV-2 UTAB FS is a universally applicable test for clinical diagnostic laboratories; it provides reliable and indicative results for patient management within 10 minutes. The test requires no special equipment and allows comparable results on nearly all clinical chemistry analysers available worldwide.

For more information, visit: www.diasys-diagnostics.com