Adaptive Biotechnologies says it’s proceeding with plans to launch a new type of test to determine if someone was previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after a study added to the evidence that its approach is more accurate than currently available antibody tests.
The Seattle-based company’s “T-Detect” test works by looking for the unique signature associated with COVID-19 in T cells, the specialized cells that determine the human immune system’s response to the disease. The company says it’s planning to launch the test publicly this fall, which would put the timing between now and Dec. 21.
In its announcement Friday morning, Adaptive said a new study found that its test was able to identify 97% (68 of 70 cases) of SARS-CoV-2 infections that had been confirmed when active through PCR diagnostic testing. By comparison, a test designed to detect antibodies produced in response to the disease identified past infections at a 77% rate (54 out of 70 cases).
“These data add to the growing body of real-world evidence that the T cell plays a critical role in immunity to SARS-CoV-2,” said Lance Baldo, the company’s chief medical officer, as part of the announcement. “T cells are emerging as another key indicator for past infection and immunity to the novel coronavirus, and a T-cell test for patients that is accurate and reproducible can serve large populations of people given what we are learning about the biology of the immune response.”
In addition, Adaptive said the results indicated that T-cell testing “may also identify past infections that had been missed by prior PCR testing.”
The company, a spin-out of Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is partnering with Microsoft and using its machine learning technology as part of the initiative.
On a related note, Adaptive said in a regulatory filing Thursday that its partner Amgen declined to go forward with plans to commercialize Adaptive’s antibody that neutralize SARS-CoV-2.
“The two antibodies we identified neutralize the virus at very low concentrations,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “They are synergistic, and we expect that combining them in a cocktail could further enhance performance. We are encouraged by the recent progress in the fight against COVID, but we also recognize that the virus is now endemic and effective therapies and tools are still needed, and we hope that the antibodies that Adaptive discovered can contribute to the solution.”
Adaptive on Tuesday reported a net loss of $36.7 million for the third quarter on revenue of $26.3 million. Shares of the company are up 2% in trading this morning after falling 3% on Thursday.
