April 6, 2022 – KSL Diagnostics, Inc. (“KSL”), developers of novel diagnostic and therapeutic applications for immunology and oncology, has launched a first-of-its-kind antibody test that detects an individual’s immune response to COVID-19 and assesses the risk of infection if subsequently exposed. The COVID-19 Immune Index™ can help monitor effectiveness of COVID-19 virus protection through a simple blood test.
This new assay correlates COVID-19 virus neutralization against a person’s antibody levels. Recognizing that people have a need to clearly understand their level of risk for COVID-19 infection and potential complications, KSL designed and developed a new, highly accurate test that measures antibodies specific to COVID-19 which develop in response to vaccination or infection and correlates these results with virus neutralization studies incorporating the significant COVID-19 virus strains to date.
The new test provides physicians and their patients an objective datapoint to help determine appropriate timing for booster vaccine doses and making informed decisions related to potential COVID-19 exposure. The test will be valuable for monitoring the immunity levels of nursing home and long-term care residents, veterans living in group housing, and patients undergoing treatment for cancer, organ transplants, or serious chronic illnesses, among others. KSL’s COVID-19 Immune Index™ is approved by New York State Department of Health/CLIA/Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
In collaboration with the University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Technology in Big Data and Health Sciences (“UB CAT”) and Dr. Amy Jacobs, a researcher leading UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ Biosafety Containment Level 3 facility—required to handle highly infectious viral pathogens like SARS-CoV-2—KSL completed studies on the relevance of circulating antibodies in vaccinated individuals. The aim was to determine the optimal neutralizing antibody titers required to block virus entry into host cells by utilizing a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), the “gold-standard” for assessing virus deactivation and correlating these results with KSL’s antibody assays. Results demonstrated stratification of immunity. For example, 100% neutralization of the virus was seen at IgG levels of 20 and above, suggesting adequate immunity. IgG levels from 10-20 reduced effective virus neutralization by 25%, while IgG levels below 10 indicated considerably decreased neutralization, suggesting ineffective immunity.