Neutralization is the process of antibodies blocking the viral infection. Neutralizing antibodies are antibodies that are capable of binding a virus and block infection; not all antibodies are capable of neutralization. The presence of neutralizing antibodies at a high-enough antibody level imply a person has immunity – that means they cannot be infected or transmit the infection. Measuring neutralization activity can select which convalescent plasma can be used for therapy and determine individuals who have immunity.

Currently, the clinical community is assessing what antibody level is high enough to confer immunity. This has not been completely established yet.

Ortho’s antibody tests target the spike (S1) protein, the most unique and specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This minimizes the risk of false positives. The tests also use the unique and Enhanced Chemiluminescent technology that greatly enhances the light signal, leading to a wide dynamic measuring range. The larger range means more accuracy in that there is a greater separation between negative and positive results.

S1 is the virus protein that attaches to human cells. Human neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 targets the S1 virus protein to disable the virus attachment to human cells, which will prevent the virus to invade the human cells and create COVID 19 infection. This immune response mechanism creates the human immunity to SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Ortho provides hospital labs with an extensive menu of tests that deliver reliable, fast, accurate results to enable decisive patient care. Find out more.