Avacta launching Covid-19 laboratory test

Biotherapeutics company Avacta Group announced on Monday that it will launch an ‘ELISA’ laboratory test for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, to support global research efforts into the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

The AIM-traded firm said enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, or ‘ELISAs’, are very common research tools used to detect and quantify a target of interest in a wide range of samples.

Using the same Affimer reagents that are incorporated into its rapid coronavirus saliva test being developed with Cytiva, Avacta said it had developed a high performance ELISA laboratory test in-house to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Avacta said it would make the ELISA test available as a kit, so that researchers could use it in their own laboratories to support research into the coronavirus.

The board said the Affimer-based ELISA test was capable of detecting the coronavirus spike protein in laboratory samples down to very low concentrations.

An evaluation of the ELISA, carried out with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine using SARS-CoV-2 virus samples, showed that it could detect as little as a few thousand virus infectious units per millilitre of sample.

That was typical of the levels found in infectious Covid-19 patients' saliva, whether they were symptomatic or not.

Highly infectious Covid-19 patients could have many thousands or millions of times more spike protein in their saliva than that, it explained.

The Affimer-based ELISA test was also highly specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with no cross-reactivity against other closely-related coronavirus spike proteins.

Avacta said it planned to supply the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein ELISA reagent kit directly, and was also in active discussions with potential original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners and distributors globally.

“I am delighted with the outstanding performance of the Affimer-based ELISA test developed in-house by Avacta and that we will shortly make this powerful laboratory research tool available to support global research efforts to study the virus and develop ways to combat the pandemic,” said chief executive officer Dr Alastair Smith.

“Avacta remains focused on the much larger opportunity of the saliva-based coronavirus antigen rapid test that we are developing with Cytiva and which is now in the process of technology transfer to our manufacturing partners.

“The excellent analytical performance of the ELISA test is very encouraging with regards to the anticipated clinical performance of the rapid test and I look forward to starting the clinical validation with the first pilot batch of rapid tests as soon as possible.”

At 1253 BST, shares in Avacta Group were up 2.85% at 169.7p.