20 October 2020 - - US-based life sciences company LabCorp (NYSE: LH) has launched a test that provides a quantitative measurement of an individual's SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. LabCorp's Cov2Quant IgG test, which is available only for use in clinical trials and research, was developed to specifically detect and quantify antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The level of antibodies is an important indicator of the strength of a person's immune response, which can help determine the effectiveness of vaccines and therapies.

Other COVID-19 antibody tests available in the market are qualitative and detect the presence of antibodies, but do not provide information on the individual's antibody levels.

Pharmaceutical companies will be able to use the test to help evaluate the performance of vaccine candidates in clinical trials.

While the level of antibodies needed to be considered immune to SARS-CoV-2 is yet to be determined, ongoing vaccine trials and research should help answer this question.

The test is also currently being utilized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies to understand the level of antibodies produced through natural exposure and infection with the virus.

LabCorp has performed more than 17m molecular tests since first making the COVID-19 test available in March and is now able to process 210,000 tests per day, with plans to increase capacity further. The company also has performed 3 m COVID-19 antibody tests with the capacity to perform 300,000 per day.