The University of Nebraska Medical Center has partnered with a New York-based company known for vaccine development to work toward effective COVID-19 antibody testing and processing. COVAXX is a subsidiary of United Biomedical.
Dr. Steven Hinrichs, Chairman of UNMC’s Pathology and Microbiology Department, said antibody testing relies on blood samples to determine whether a person has had an immune response to COVID-19, rather than detect if the virus is present. He said the tests are an important step in the development of a vaccine for the virus.
“It’s a leading indicator of progress towards a vaccine. If this weren’t happening, it would basically mean we weren’t ready yet to know whether or not a vaccine was working,” Hinrichs said.
Hinrichs said COVAXX will be able to help UNMC work with companies to get people back to work through large-scale antibody testing. He said the antibody tests will help health professionals work toward how they will combat COVID-19 in the future.