The vast majority of individuals infected with mild-to-moderate COVID 19 mount a robust antibody response that is relatively stable for at least five months, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published October 28, in the journal Science. Additionally, the research team found that this antibody response correlates with the body’s ability to neutralize (kill) SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
“While some reports have come out saying antibodies to this virus go away quickly, we have found just the opposite – that more than 90 percent of people who were mildly or moderately ill produce an antibody response strong enough to neutralize the virus, and the response is maintained for many months,” said Florian Krammer, PhD, Professor of Vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a senior author of the paper. “Uncovering the robustness of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, including its longevity and neutralizing effects, is critically important to enabling us to effectively monitor seroprevalence in communities and to determining the duration and levels of antibody that protect us from reinfection. This is essential for effective vaccine development.”
Study findings are based on a dataset of 30,082 individuals, who were screened within the Mount Sinai Health System between March and October, 2020. The antibody test used in this research—an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)—is based on the virus’s telltale spike protein that contains the machinery that enables it to attach and gain entry into our cells. The ELISA assay was developed, validated, and launched at Mount Sinai by a team of internationally renowned researchers and clinicians. The Mount Sinai antibody test detects the presence or absence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and, importantly, is capable of measuring the titer (level) of antibodies an individual has. The high sensitivity and specificity of this test—meaning that a false negative or false positive is highly unlikely—allowed it to be among the first to receive emergency use authorization from New York State and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Sciencemag. The research paper: