3rd booster dose? neutralizing antibody test to play a key role

Importance and benefits of neutralizing antibodies in COVID testing

With multiple COVID-19 vaccine producers, including Covishield (SII), recommending a 3^rd booster dose to counter the threat of Covid-19, the Neutralizing Antibody Microlisa test will play a critical role in India’s fight against the corona pandemic. Neutralization is the gold standard for determining antibody efficacy – it showcases how effective the vaccination has been against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Neutralization assays are complex biological lab tests, the only method to functionally test antibodies for their ability to prevent cell infection by SARS-CoV-2.  Some countries that have implemented SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to monitor the development of herd immunity include the USA, UK, Australia, China, Thailand, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Brazil, Iceland, and Spain.

 What is neutralizing antibody?

NAb is the antibody that defends cells from pathogens, which cause disease (in this case, SARS-CoV-2). The body produces them naturally as part of its immune response, and both infections and vaccinations against diseases trigger their production. NAb stops infections by incapacitating the invading pathogen by Blocking cell entry, replication, or other vital function. Neutralizing antibodies can result in lifelong immunity to certain infections. They are used to see if a person has developed immunity to disease after they have recovered from it or post-vaccination.

What are the importance and benefits of neutralizing antibodies in COVID testing?

1. Neutralizing antibodies (or Late arriving IgG) is the key to reducing virus capture and spread of infection.
2. Neutralizing antibodies prevent the virus from attaching to the host cell.
3. The prevalence of these antibodies (in High Titre) will determine:
4. If the individual has an excellent humoral immunity
5. If the vaccination is successful.
6. NAb(s) are ideal as they provide no cross-reactivity with any other coronavirus infections.
7. The NAb(s) testing can help the patients segregate between Mild, moderate, and severe categories.
8. They assist in tracking infection chains
9. and answering virological, clinic, and epidemiological questions about whether a robust antibody response has occurred.
10. The short-term to long-term immunity and the treatment regime can be devised explicitly for an individual by testing NAb(s).
11. Neutralizing antibodies assures protective immunity against viral infections.

Who is manufacturing these tests?

J Mitra & Company, an Indian biotechnology company and IVD leader launched the COVID-19 neutralizing antibody Microlisa Elisa Test.

• The test kit has cleared all government parameters and received all necessary approvals, including Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) & successful product validation.
• The test kit has high sensitivity (> 95%) and Specificity (100%) and is validated by DCGI.