Acupuncture Blood Testing: Who is the Most Likely Person to Re-Contract COVID-19?

A finger puncture blood test can identify people who
are most likely to re-infect COVID-19.
The simple test, developed in close collaboration with researchers at Cardiff University, was developed by a small biotechnology company in Cardiff (ImmunoServ Ltd) to measure the presence
of immune T cells that can identify SARS-CoV-2.

In early 2022, researchers recruited more than 300 volunteers from across the UK to evaluate the new test
.
Over the next three months, the individuals with the largest T cell response to the virus were most protected from COVID-19, regardless of their viral antibody levels
.
Finger puncture testing will help determine which people are most susceptible to infection and which may need more targeted interventions, such as repeated booster vaccinations
.

Writing in Nature Communications, Cardiff's team notes that the test shifts the focus from "measuring" antibody responses to considering T cell-mediated immunity
.
Previously, efforts to identify those least likely to re-infect focused on quantifying antibodies that recognize SARS-CoV2's surface spike protein
.
Although it is relatively easy to measure antibodies on a larger scale in a population, antibody levels do not fully reflect what prevents reinfection, especially in the presence of the
SARS-CoV-2 variant.

Dr.
Martin Scurr, lead author of the study, said the study highlights the potential
for a more accurate assessment of an individual's immunity to COVID-19.
"Many people are concerned about their own risk of contracting COVID-19, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated before
.
Our tests determined that the level of T cell response caused by prior vaccination or infection was related
to an individual's risk of contracting COVID-19 within a few months of blood testing.
"Historically, large-scale testing of T cells' response to SARS-CoV-2 has been challenging
to date.

With funding from the UK government's InnovateUK Research Council, Welsh Biotechnology ImmunoServ Ltd has partnered with Cardiff University to develop a new T cell detection method
.

The test uses a simple finger-piercing blood sample taken at home and sent to a laboratory by mail, allowing anyone in the UK to participate in the study
.
Cardiff's team says their work highlights the need to assess how long the immune response lasts in the population, uncertain whether revaccinations will be needed in the future and who will need them
.
Andrew Godkin, Professor of Experimental Medicine and Immunology at Cardiff University and co-senior author of the study, added: "Long-term immunoscreening using this test will allow us to monitor the lifespan of the response to prevent COVID-19 and identify the most vulnerable members of
our society who may need an early fortified vaccine.
"

Magnitude of venous or capillary blood-derived SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response determines COVID-19 immunity