QIAGEN launches CE-marked version of QuantiFERON® SARS-CoV-2 to assess T-cell response to COVID-19

QIAGEN has announced the CE marking of its QuantiFERON^® SARS-CoV-2 assay that measures T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and aids in the assessment of immunity in individuals who have received COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccines stimulate the body to produce antibodies and activate T-cells to fight a SARS-CoV-2 infection. 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 QuantiFERON^® SARS-CoV-2 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.”

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.

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