Antibody detection shows which viral infections the person being tested has already had and gives information on possible immunity against the corresponding virus, the Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) explains in a press release. CSEM is collaborating with Adamant Innotech, a start-up specializing in developing technologies in the area of microoptics, to develop a test to simultaneously look for up to 20 different antibody types.
The two partners are working on a biosensor consisting of a plastic microarray chip on which the specific proteins of the virus are immobilized. When they come into contact with the blood of the person being tested, any corresponding antibodies present will bind to these proteins. The first biochips are to be manufactured at CSEM’s Landquart site in the Greater Zurich Area within the coming weeks.
The partners hope to split any potential mass production between Switzerland and China. “Similar methods are being deployed in hospitals,” Xiaoming Tang, Managing Director of Adamant Innotech and former manager at CSEM, says in the press release. However, their product has the advantage of allowing “a wide range of tests to be carried out simultaneously.” Moreover, it is a “high-performance and competitive Swiss solution.”
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