ASU studying the COVID-19 as well; graphics illustrate the virus
/Photo: Courtesy of the University of Arizona
By Amanda Morris | Arizona Republic
University of Arizona researchers developed a COVID-19 test to detect the virus in people who may have never shown symptoms or who may have already recovered.
University of Arizona researchers have begun using a test that can detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus in a person who has no obvious symptoms and possibly determine whether someone was once infected with COVID-19.
The test will be limited to a small number of patients to start, but it could help answer important questions about the breadth of the virus and the possibility of reinfection. More importantly, researchers hope to use the research to advance a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.
University researchers received their first sample for testing from a confirmed and recovering COVID-19 patient on Friday. After the first sample is tested, researchers said they will continue to fine tune the test.
The test measures the presence of antibodies in a patient’s blood. Antibodies are proteins created by the immune system to fight infections and viruses. If a person has COVID-19 or has previously had it, their body would have produced unique antibodies in response that would still be present in the blood after the infection cleared.
