IISBR offers coronavirus antibody assay as part of its salivary assay services
As part of its salivary assay services, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research (IISBR) is offering a COVID-19 antibody assay to researchers.
“This assay can be used to determine what percentage of a study population has been exposed to the SARS-Cov-2 virus. While molecular tests can only capture an acute infection, the antibody assay can inform about past infections,” says IISBR faculty member Elizabeth Thomas.
The new assay detects antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid protein (N-protein), which is the most immunodominant protein in the coronavirus family. Antibody testing for the SARS-CoV-2 N-protein in saliva provides a valuable alternative over traditional blood-based serology, and can even facilitate home-based sampling. The assay can be used to support research studies to investigate seroprevalence and incidence related to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“The antibody assay can be useful for many types of research projects, as it provides an opportunity to study the long-term effects of past Covid-19 infections on other behavioral and health outcomes in a given study,” Thomas explains.
Research into the incidence and prevalence of COVID-19 exposure will also be important as vaccination programs are being planned and implemented.
For more details about the new assay, visit the website.
IISBR has research partners and provides assay services for investigators nationwide and internationally. Any researcher can consult with the IISBR faculty and staff and learn more about the research lab’s assay services on the website.
Contact:
Mimi Ko Cruz
Director of Communications
(949) 824-1278
mkcruz@uci.edu