Mayo Clinic unveils antibody test that could help researchers find COVID-19 vaccines, treatments

The Mayo Clinic has launched a new antibody test that gives scientists and doctors information about how effective a person’s antibodies are at neutralizing COVID-19, which the organization believes will help researchers find vaccines and treatments.

The neutralizing antibody test will support a nationwide convalescent plasma exchange study and other research critical to finding therapies and vaccines for COVID-19, according to the Mayo Clinic.

It is not a substitute for tests that diagnose COVID-19 infections or for serology tests, but rather identifies a subset of antibodies that inactivate viruses and “are associated with protective immunity against re-infection for many infectious pathogens.

“The neutralizing antibody test is a critical addition to our COVID-19 testing, expanding on the capabilities of the molecular tests used to diagnose active infection and the serology test, which indicates previous infection by identifying antibodies for the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” says William Morice, II, M.D., Ph.D., president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. “This new test provides us with incredibly important information about how effective a person’s antibodies are at neutralizing the virus.

The Mayo Clinic said it partnered with Vyriad, Inc. Regeneron and Imains Life Sciences to create the test in just two months. It will be available at select labs, blood banks and biopharma clients in late June.