ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a crucial need for rapid, straightforward collection and testing of biological samples. Serological antibody assays can analyse patient blood samples to confirm immune response following mRNA vaccine administration or to verify past exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While blood tests provide vital information for clinical analysis and epidemiology, sample collection is not uncomplicated. This process requires a visit to the doctors office, a professionally trained phlebotomist to draw several millilitres of blood, processing to yield plasma or serum, and necessitates appropriate cold chain storage to preserve the specimen. The Covaris truCOLLECT Whole Blood Collection Kit allows for a lancet-based, decentralised capillary blood collection of exactly metered low volumes and eliminates the need for refrigerated transport and storage through the process of active desiccation. Anti-SARS CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid protein antibody titres in plasma samples collected via venepuncture were compared to antibody titres in whole blood extracts obtained by treating desiccated whole blood samples stored in truCOLLECT sampling devices with Covaris Adaptive-focused Acoustics (AFA). Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.98, 95% CI [0.96, 0.99] for anti-SARS-CoV spike protein antibodies and 0.97, 95% CI [0.94, 0.99] for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein antibodies were observed. These data suggest that serology testing using desiccated whole blood samples collected and stored in truCOLLECT devices can be a convenient and cost-effective alternative to conventionally collected plasma.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Given the challenges that fast-changing SARS-CoV-2 variants have caused in terms of rapid spread and reduced vaccine efficacy, a rapid and cost-effective assay that can detect new and emerging variants is greatly needed worldwide. We have successfully applied the xenonucleic acid-based molecular-clamping technology to develop a multiplex RT-qPCR assay for SARS-CoV-2 multivariant detection. The assay was tested on 649 nasopharyngeal swab samples that were collected from California and Ohio. The assay was able to correctly identify all 36 Delta variant samples as it accurately detected D614G, T478K and L452R mutations. In addition, the assay was able to correctly identify all 34 Omicron samples by detecting K417N, T478K, N501Y and D614G mutations. This technique reliably detects a variety of variants and has an analytical sensitivity of 100 copies/mL. In conclusion, this novel assay can serve as a rapid and cost-effective tool to facilitate large-scale detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants.