Qiagen Launches CE-marked Version of QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 to Assess T-cell Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccines stimulate the body to produce antibodies and activate T-cells to fight a SARS-CoV-2 infection. T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 declines much more slowly than antibody response and may indicate how severe the course of an illness triggered by SARS-CoV-2 will be in infected patients, and how immune those are who have recovered many months – possibly even years – after having been infected. Serology tests, which measure the antibodies, often generate positive test results after vaccination but are unable to assess cellular responses.

The QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 assay detects CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses, thereby enabling a much more comprehensive assessment of immunity generated by COVID-19 vaccines. The assay is based on QIAGEN’s QuantiFERON interferon gamma release technology, which is globally recognized as an easy-to-use T-cell assay that employs whole blood and – unlike other T-cell assays – does not require the purification of lymphocytes for T-cell measurement.

“T-cells provide valuable insights into our immune system’s response to COVID-19,” said Jean-Pascal Viola, Senior Vice President and Head of the Molecular Diagnostics Business Area at QIAGEN. “The more we know about this epidemic, the better equipped the world will be to address this threat that will stay with us,” he said. “We are excited about our QuantiFERON technology enabling the assessment of immune responses that are crucial for the prevention and management of the disease.”

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