A new, one-of-a-kind machine test developed by Adaptive Biotechnologies that can detect Covid-19 infections has been given emergency authorization by the FDA. Unlike the hundreds of tests already on the market that search for evidence of SARS-CoV-2 or antibodies, the new T-detect COVID test can detect past infections in your immune system by tracking the T cells that help the body remember its viral enemies.
Researchers already knew that the T cells in an individual’s blood are capable of showing all the diseases a person has had, even years later. However, given that every patient has 300,000 to 400,000 T cells to analyze, it presented researchers with a data-heavy roadblock. But a recent partnership between Adaptive and Microsoft has found a way around that roadblock with a solution that enables a more efficient identification of a patient’s past infections.
In addition to the T-detect COVID test, Adaptive has also announced plans for future research into the impacts of long COVID, the benefit and resilience of various vaccines and plans to develop diagnostics for other diseases such as celiac disease and multiple sclerosis.
SOURCE: STAT News March 5, 2021