NEW YORK — Babson Diagnostics said on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to provide SARS-CoV-2 serology testing services for a study of immune responses to the virus being conducted at the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School (Dell Med).
According to Babson, the longitudinal study aims to measure the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 by tracking infected individuals over a two-year period. The initial phase of the trial will include 200 COVID-19-positive people including patients and healthcare workers at UT Health Austin, Dell Med's clinical practice.
"This research marks a vital step forward in understanding and managing COVID-19," Dell Med's Esther Melamed, principal investigator for the study, said in a statement. "Accurate testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and a deeper understanding of the evolving adaptive immune response will help identify risk factors for COVID-19 disease severity and recovery, and will lead toward the next steps of identifying convalescent serum donors to treat the critically ill and developing protective vaccines."
Babson recently launched a serology test designed to detect immunoglobulin G antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The Austin-based company said that the test has demonstrated 93.2 percent sensitivity and 100 percent specificity, and that it has separately launched its own study to validate its serology testing services.
Babson said it has submitted the test to the US Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization.