Description
Thus far, two structural proteins have been used as target antigens for serological assays. One is the nucleoprotein (NP), which is found inside the virus or inside infected cells. However, it is unlikely that NP antibodies can directly neutralize SARS-CoV-2. The second structural protein often used as a target for characterizing the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is the Spike protein. The Spike is a large trimeric glycoprotein that contains the receptor binding domain, which the virus uses to dock to its cellular receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and for fusion of viral and cellular membranes.
It is known that the Spike protein is the main, and potentially the only, target for neutralizing antibodies. The Coronavirus Test After Vaccination or Infection is using the SARS-CoV-2 virus Spike protein as a capture antigen and so the “neutralizing antibodies” detected by this test indicate that a person had an immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine or to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, whether symptoms developed from infection or the infection was asymptomatic.
The autotest can be usefull:
• to those who have already completed the anti Sars-CoV-2 vaccine (both doses) and wish to verify the subsequent production of antibodies (and their relative duration, through repeated measurements over time);
• to those who think they have contracted SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past and therefore have already developed neutralizing antibodies in recent months or who have come into contact with people who have been infected before the last two weeks.
Ref. C12RT1029, 20 tests
