On Sept. 22, 2020, Oxford Immunotec announced that it had entered into an extensive research collaboration with Public Health England and launched the ‘Evaluating Detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using home test kits’ study (EDSAB-HOME), a cohort study of high risk (healthcare workers) and lower risk populations to provide rapid validation of SARS-CoV-2 (‘COVID-19’) testing kits. With this collaboration, the Company contributed its T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 testing kits for use in the trial.

The T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 test is unique within the trial as it is the only test that uses the T cell response rather than antibody-mediated immunity to investigate previous exposure to the virus.

Limitations have been reported with the measurement of antibody-mediated immunity, including that: 1) Antibodies may not be present after infection1, 2) Where antibodies are present they may not persist over time2, and 3) There is currently no direct evidence that people who do have detectable antibodies are protected from a second infection3. Measuring T cells in conjunction with other tests may overcome some of these issues.

Oxford Immunotec Global is a global, high-growth diagnostics company. They bring energy and invention to a world in need of diagnostic truth. They are uniquely placed as the only company in the world offering regulated ELISPOT assays for T cell measurement, with approval around the globe. Their leading product, the T-SPOT®.TB test, is used for diagnosing infection with Tuberculosis, the world’s largest cause of death from infectious disease.

The T-SPOT.TB test has been approved for sale in over 50 countries, including the United States, where it has received pre-market approval from the Food and Drug Administration, Europe, where it has obtained a CE mark, as well as Japan and China.