About the Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test & Testing Process

When thinking about the Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test, it is important to consider the many benefits of gaining your antibody immunity profile as part of your intelligent approach to personal health security at a challenging and rapidly changing time. Benefits afforded by the test include:

• Know that your vaccine has worked and you have protective antibodies
• Discover how much your immunity has waned
• Find out whether you are at or below the ‘Edge of Immunity’ and thus risking being more vulnerable
• See if a Covid-19 infection has provided natural protection or not
• Use the information to better plan and time any boosters
• If you are a more vulnerable individual, it’s more vital you understand your degree of protection

Let’s start with information about the Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Test itself.

The simple explanation is that a tiny venous blood sample is taken by a trained nurse at a phlebotomy centre (clinic that takes blood samples) and this is analysed in an Attomarker Liscar 6 Analyser, providing an accurate quantification of your various different antibodies to Covid-19 and its variants. Additionally, the results profile tells you whether you are above, at, near or below the Edge of Immunity, a term used to denote whether you are likely to be on the edge of protection from the SARS-COV-2 virus. Lastly, perhaps more importantly, it tells you how long your immunity is likely to last, allowing you to take additional protective measures to ensure you are not vulnerable.

The more complex explanation is that the technology, developed by award-winning research scientists at Exeter University, UK, is based on something called nanophotonic particles. These are highly sensitive, gold-based particles that analyse light profiles from the various components in the blood sample to produce a very accurate assessment of the quantities of various antibodies to Covid-19.

Test accuracy is measured by scientists in two ways. Sensitivity is how likely the test is to detect a positive result. Specificity shows how specific the antibodies are to COVID-19 and thus how trustworthy a negative result is. Attomarker’s Triple Antibody Test achieves 95% sensitivity and 96% specificity.

Our nationwide testing services are designed to be supremely easy to access with over 100 testing locations provide through our access Nationwide partner.

Broadly, the testing process can all be booked and coordinated from here, as follows:

• Click BOOK YOUR TEST and you’ll be taken to the booking process
• Provide the details requested
• Complete the purchase process
• The self-collection kit is then immediately dispatched by 1st class mail, complete with return packaging and return mail paid for
• Follow the simple, finger-prick collection of the tiny blood sample (everything is provided)
• Package this up in the packing materials provided and dispatch the prepaid package to our Nationwide provider

Around 48 hours later, you’ll receive a comprehensive Covid-19 Antibody Immunity Profile, complete with helpful explanations as to what the results mean, as well as access to a deeper level of explanation and the lastest findings related to variants of Covid-19.

Let’s explore a quick overview of antibodies and their role in protecting us from diseases i.e. immunity.

There are 5 types of antibodies all involved in different parts of the immune response, all starting with Ig. They all do different things and together make up our immune response.

• IgM is made quickly at the beginning of an infection as a first responder. It is not a great antibody, but the speed of response is helpful.
• IgA is found in the nasal fluids (mucosa) and may have a very important role in the COVID-19 infection, preventing the virus getting into the cells. There is also some information that IgA can get inside the cells to stop virus particles from being made.
• IgD is the least well-understood of the antibodies and needs more research.
• IgE is the antibody responsible for part of our allergy responses such as to food or hay-fever.
• IgG is the made during the acquired immunity response, either following a natural infection or stimulated by the vaccines. IgG is what is produced when you have a vaccine or a booster for COVID-19.

IgG antibodies stimulated by the COVID-19 vaccine, are Y shaped and work by one end sticking and hanging on to a very specific part of the COVID-19 virus. The other end of the antibody – the bottom of the Y, enables white blood cells to bind to the Y and start engulfing the antibody and the virus, neutralising it.

You might inhale say a billion virus particles per 1 Sq. mm of nasal passage surface. The Attomarker test uses a blood antibody threshold or level of 3.4 mg/L of blood, which equates to roughly 100 billion antibodies in your nasal mucosa. This should provide protection against infection and also ensure that any virus particles sneezed back out of the nose continue to be covered, meaning the antibodies could also help prevent transmission too.

It is analysing whether you have enough IgG antibodies that allows the Attomarker COVID-19 Antibody Immunity Test to analyse whether you are likely to have sufficient protection to avoid infection and/ or recover easily without severe illness. We use the data to tell just how long you are like to remain protected, vital information for managing your personal health security.

This protects us in two main ways. First, antibodies can bind to antigens on the outside of the pathogen to stop it from entering our cells. This is particularly important for viruses, which enter human cells to replicate (so if the virus is stopped from entering your cells, you won’t get sick).

Second, by binding to antigens on the pathogen, antibodies also signal other white blood cells known as phagocytic cells, which engulf and destroy the pathogen. So, in short, antibodies can both neutralise a virus and mark it for destruction.

It's a test that measures the quantity of antibodies in your blood to various parts of the virus, allowing us to predict your degree of protection and how long it will likely last. The test starts with a small sample of blood, obtained from a simple finger-prick with a self-testing kit, which is sent to a central laboratory to be put into the Attomarker instrument. This generates the highly accurate results and the key findings and predictions on protection.

The results will be generated as a report, with graphs, explanations and guidance. These are emailed directly to you, along with how to access a greater level of explanation and guidance if you want to know even more. They are also available from the Biomark app.

No. It is not an antigen test or a PCR test replacement. If you think you have COVID-19 now, please follow NHS advice. This is not the right test at this moment if you suspect you already have Covid-19.

The test carries a full CE Mark and registration with the MHRA, the UK national agency that regulates medical products and technology. It is fully approved.

There are a number of steps but they are broadly split into taking the small blood sample and the processing of this sample through the technology. The blood sample is collected from a simple finger-prick self-collection kit which we send to you after you have ordered the test. This is then sent to the central laboratory to arrive the next day and they will process it immediately, using their trained laboratory technicians. Your results are generally available within 24-48 hours of attending for your blood sample.