Preliminary Data from Real-World Study Demonstrate T-cell Testing Outperforms Antibody Testing in Identifying Past SARS-CoV-2 Infections

– Findings support upcoming launch of T-Detect COVID, first T-cell test for novel coronavirus
– Data support mounting evidence that measuring T-cells is necessary to fully characterize immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 across the population
– Additional supporting data to be published soon

SEATTLE, Nov. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ADPT), a commercial stage biotechnology company that aims to translate the genetics of the adaptive immune system into clinical products to diagnose and treat disease, today announced that its T-Detect Assay for past SARS-CoV-2 infection in development identified 97% (68/70) of past PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to 77% (54/70) with commercial EUA approved antibody testing at similar specificity approximately two months after PCR diagnosis. Additionally, the T-cell response was greater in symptomatic versus asymptomatic subjects, whereas there was no correlation between antibody levels and disease severity in recovered patients. Preliminary results of this study, performed in collaboration with University of Padua and Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan, who were funded by a grant from Umberto Veronesi Foundation were made available on medRxiv. T-Detect COVID will be launched later this fall, becoming the first clinical T-cell based diagnostic test able to confirm past infections to SARS-CoV-2.

It is likely that some people may never develop antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 because they can resolve the infection early and effectively with T cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that antibodies appear to wane over time¹, while virus-specific T cells have been shown to persist for at least six months². This new study adds to mounting evidence that T cells, along with antibodies, may serve as an important correlate of immune protection and can help provide a more complete picture of the duration of immunity to the virus following an infection or administration of a vaccine.

“These data add to the growing body of real-world evidence that the T cell plays a critical role in immunity to SARS-CoV-2,” said Lance Baldo, Chief Medical Officer of Adaptive Biotechnologies. “T cells are emerging as another key indicator for past infection and immunity to the novel coronavirus, and a T-cell test for patients that is accurate and reproducible can serve large populations of people given what we are learning about the biology of the immune response.”