Spanish Scientists Develop Antibody Test That Is 98% Accurate

IN the fight against Covid-19, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has come up with a new serological test capable of detecting antibodies that is 98 per cent accurate.

Known as the ‘ELISA Kit,’ the antibody test to detect immunity to Covid-19 designed by various groups within the CSIC is almost 100 per cent reliable (just over 98 per cent) and will be available to hospitals in approximately one and a half months.

The new serological test detects the antibodies and helps to find out whether a person has been in contact with the coronavirus and whether their immune system has reacted to it.

This technology, already approved by the Immunology services at the La Princesa and La Paz hospitals in Madrid is essential, as a large number of those infected do not present any symptoms.

According to the scientists who developed it, the ‘ELISA Kit’ will become one of the most reliable technologies for carrying out serological tests on the population. The new technology can also be produced as “immunochromatographic strips”, similar to pregnancy tests. These are known as rapid antibody tests, since the result is generated in just 15 minutes, and the CSIC is already negotiating with several Spanish companies to produce the tests in this format to cover demand as well as provide an affordable price.