BASE10 Genetics and DNA Link today announced their collaboration on a research project to evaluate the usability of DNA Link's AccuFind COVID-19 IgG antibody test in a healthcare setting.

Although Covid-19 deaths and new confirmed cases continue to rise across nursing homes in the US, many of those infected do recover. This has led to growing interest in the relationship between antibodies and their protective value whether generated by previous Covid-19 exposure or by a vaccine, once available.

Study will expand access to antibody testing outside of laboratory settings.

At present, most antibody tests on the market require samples to be sent to a lab for analysis. The extra cost and time associated has constrained population wide studies of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

"An antibody test that can be done at the point of care without the need for a lab can more quickly provide information clinicians and administrators need to make decisions for their nursing home patients and staff," says Dr Michael Fang, BASE10 CEO.

"This research is an important milestone in our efforts to expand access to antibody testing," says Elizabeth Freund, VP of Innovation at BASE10. "DNA Link's AccuFind performs very well in laboratory settings. The next logical step is to test its performance when used by healthcare professionals outside the lab. Many factors have the potential to affect test performance in lesser controlled settings so it's an ambitious goal to be sure. However, if US FDA believes the data demonstrates its safety and effectiveness under these conditions, we'll be one step closer to US FDA emergency use authorization for point of care use."

The study is set to launch in December.

BASE10 is a precision medicine company based in Chicago. BASE10's proprietary platform identifies precision diagnostics technologies with high potential for improving health outcomes, and creates turnkey, disease management programs that can be deployed at scale for insurance payors.