Siemens and BARDA Partner for Development of COVID-19 Automated Total Antibody Test

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 10 Jun 2020

Siemens Healthineers (Erlangen, Germany) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA, Washington, DC, USA) are partnering for an automated SARS-CoV-2 total antibody test being developed by the company.

BARDA, a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded USD 602,275 to Siemens for the continued development of its SARS-CoV-2 total antibody test. Siemens’ laboratory-based total antibody test to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including IgM and IgG in blood, will allow for identification of patients who have developed an adaptive immune response, which indicates recent infection or prior exposure. A spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus enables the virus to penetrate and infect human cells found in multiple organs and blood vessels. Siemens’ automated total antibody test aims to detect antibodies to the spike protein that are believed to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus and therefore prevent infection.