Pictor, a global
leader in immunodiagnostics, today announced an important
research project – the Pictor Antibody Clinical Trial
(PACT-19) – which aims to gain important information and
insights into the COVID-19 immunity profile of New
Zealanders.
“Serologic tests measure the antibody
response in a person and Pictor’s PACT-19 seroprevalence
study will help our understanding of the impact of
vaccinations and infection on antibody levels in a New
Zealand cohort,” said Pictor’s CEO Howard
Moore.
Additionally, as we learn more about COVID-19,
seroprevalence studies can highlight the proportion of a
population who may be protected against infection in the
future, according to the World Health Organisation
(WHO).
The PACT-19 study is the first domestic
clinical study to be run by Pictor and uses its PictArray™
SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody Test that was developed in-house and
recently launched commercially in New Zealand. The test is
the first of its kind as it enables personalised COVID-19
assessments by detecting if a patient has antibodies from a
previous infection of SARS-CoV-2 (spike protein and
nucleocapsid protein antibodies) or from vaccination alone
(spike antibodies only). It also indicates whether at-risk
patients have failed to mount a detectable antibody response
despite vaccination or infection.
This study aims to
monitor the change in participant antibody levels following
either vaccination only or vaccination and infection with
the COVID-19 virus. A total of 296 participants have been
involved in the PACT-19 study to date. Of this group, 231
participants, who have been vaccinated but not infected,
will be followed over a course of six months. The remaining
65, who have been vaccinated and infected, were tested only
once. Pictor has been able to identify participants that
have had asymptomatic infections as well as participants who
had symptoms but never tested positive by PCR or Rapid
Antigen Test.
This study will conclude mid-2023.
“This study is particularly important because it will add
to our understanding of the significance and relevance of
the Spike Protein and Nucleocapsid Protein antibodies
especially as they relate to viral protection as well as
implications for conditions such as Long-COVID,” said
PACT-19 Project Manager Helen
Teale.
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